Morganville Vampires: The Founder has a Boss?
by Lady Fandom
Summary: Claire meets an interesting girl, much like herself in a way, on the TPU campus. Soon after, she discovers that the tiny girl is not all she seems to be. No Athena is much, much more.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Claire Danvers swung her backpack over her shoulders and headed out of the Science Building of the Texas Prairie University campus. She hopped down the stairs into the bright sunlight, cheerfully headed home after a long day of school. She was fighting her way through the crowd, when she was knocked off her feet. A relatively light weight landed on her with a tiny grunt.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." The person who had spoken was a pixie-looking girl with short, brown hair and a very small figure. She straightened up first then offered Claire a hand. There was no bracelet on her wrist—not a native to Morganville. As Claire accepted the girl's offer to help her up, she noticed how young she looked. The pixie girl couldn't be any older than Claire herself, who had graduated high school at sixteen and was now seventeen. She'd only come to Morganville because her parents hadn't wanted her to go off to MIT at such a young age.

They regretted that now that they had learned Morganville's…situation. Morganville looked like your average, boring Texan town on the outside. But on the inside, the whole town was run by vampires. One vampire in particular, Amelie, was the ruler and also Claire's boss, in an indirect sort of way.

"It's okay, I'm fine. But, um, are you lost or something?" Claire asked the petite girl. The girl blinked unbelievably dark eyes in surprise. She hitched a heavy-looking messenger bag on her shoulder before answering,

"No. I'm a freshman here."

Claire's brow rose, but she gave a little shrug and held out a hand for the other girl to shake. "Sorry, you just look young to be a student. I'm Claire Danvers."

The girl took her hand. "Athena Truce. It's alright. I get that all the time, but I am much older than I look." Something flashed behind Athena's dark eyes, and Claire would've been suspicious that she was one of the more shadow-dwelling inhabitants of the town, had they both not been standing directly in the fading light of the sunset.

_Sunset!_

Crap! That meant the sun-allergic crowd would be prowling about soon. "Well, I better be getting home. See you."

"Wait! Let me make it up to you—for knocking you down, I mean. Let me buy you some coffee. Not the nasty University Center stuff, no I'm talking real coffee. There's a place close to campus. I think it is called Common Grounds or something. What do you say, Claire?"

Claire didn't want to refuse the girl; she looked like she might start crying if she got rejected.Oh well. I guess I can call Eve to come pick me up, she decided.

She let Athena drag her to Common Grounds. The coffee shop was one of the most popular places in town, and not just for the breathing folks either. Oliver, the second most badass vampire in town, was the owner of Common Grounds. He was also not exactly one of Claire's closest friends, so she generally avoided the place.

When they walked in, it was as crowded as usual. Most of the occupants of the tables were students, hunched over schoolwork. Athena tugged Claire to the line for coffee. The girl seemed to be extremely high-energy because she didn't seem to be able to stop bouncing around, chattering about classes and how scary college life was when you were on your own in a new town.

Finally, Claire got to the front of the line. Oliver was standing alone behind the counter looking rumpled and bored in his hippy disguise. Bet he wishes Eve still worked here, Claire couldn't keep herself from thinking. She ordered her vanilla latte and moved aside for Athena. Her little pixie face was pointed down as she dug through her messenger bag. Oliver started to look annoyed as she kept searching through her bag.

Suddenly, she came up with a triumphant shout with several bills in her hand. But she was cutoff quickly when she caught sight of Oliver's face. His annoyance turned to disbelief as the two stared at each other. What happened next was a kind of mix between creepy, cute, and disgusting.

Athena threw the money aside, leaped the counter with ease, and wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck, exclaiming, "Ollie!" as she did.

Claire knew her expression was one of absolute bewilderment, and it probably looked priceless. _Nobody_ acted like that with Oliver. For one thing, nobody liked him enough to hug him, and for another, he didn't seem to like human contact much.

And _absolutely no one_ called him Ollie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Ollie!" Athena exclaimed breathlessly again. "I haven't seen you since the Dark Isle!"

Oliver's mouth was open in a silent O, and he stared incredulously down at the girl clinging to him. Claire regained her voice first.

"I see you've already met. How's that, exactly?"

"Oh, well, little Claire, didn't you ever wonder where the vampires first started?"

"Huh?" Claire frowned at Athena's words. She'd assumed that Athena was just a normal student. But the fact that she knew who Oliver was and that vampires existed proved undeniably that she was anything but ordinary. "Um, sorry, I don't quite understand."

Athena's dark eyes blinked then glanced up at Oliver's still-stunned face. "Shall we explain somewhere more private, Ollie?" Oliver's eyes moved from Athena to Claire then back again. Finally, he nodded. Athena released her grip on his neck and skipped to his office in the back. Speechless, Claire stared at Oliver as he grasped the counter in front of him with pale hands—were those tremors running through his fingers? He swallowed to steady himself and raised his head to the line of customers.

"Get out," he rasped. The guy in front, a blond with dull blue eyes and a football jacket on, glared at Oliver without moving. "GET OUT!" Oliver shouted it this time, making Claire jump. Everybody fumbled to gather their things off the tables and scrambled for the door. Things had to be pretty serious for Oliver to break his hippy disguise in front of his customers like that.

When the door swung shut on the last person, Oliver swept to the windows and pulled the metal covers down. The sun had completely disappeared, and Claire couldn't help but feel a little trapped as the last bit of sky was hidden behind metal. She stood awkwardly in the corner as Oliver, head down, braced himself against the bar. His graying hair fell from its tie, making him look really…vulnerable. Something that Oliver never was.

Not knowing what to do, Claire cleared her throat. Oliver's face snapped up to look at her as if he'd forgotten she was there. After a moment, his features hardened back to their stony mask. He straightened up, stalked past Claire without a glance, and followed Athena's path to his office.

With a second of slight hesitation, Claire trailed after them—not before texting Eve about where she was. She'd learned from experience that it was best to let people know where you were going if it seemed even just a little dangerous.

Oliver's office was…messy. Somehow, that was oddly comforting. It made him seem a little more human. The leather chair behind the stacks of paper was inhabited by Athena's little body. She had made herself at home, resting her feet on the desk. Her black eyes sparkled as Claire entered the room.

"So, Ollie, where shall we begin?" Athena asked. He seemed taken aback by the question.

It looked like he couldn't answer, so Claire replied for him. "The beginnings always a good place to start."

"Ah, yes. The beginning. You see, little Claire, vampires are not quite as old as humans." Claire's eyes widened. "No, we were made. There was a human who contracted a terrible disease. This person could not live without blood. They tried to live without it, but that only made them go insane with hunger. They would black out and wake up with people drained of their blood around them. Eventually, this person came to understand their disease, and accept it. They learned to live with it."

Oliver seemed to have found his voice. He ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke. "Unlike humans, the vampire race began with a single individual. That individual was…"

"Me!" Athena shrieked, popping out of the chair with a squeal of delight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Athena made a ta-da pose with her arms. Claire gaped at the other two.

"But-but she was standing in direct sunlight, and she wasn't even affected!" she spluttered.

"Yes, that is one of the advantages of being the first vampire. Sunlight has no effect on me, other than tanning my skin," explained Athena.

Claire's mouth just hung open. She would've thought that they were playing a joke on her had Oliver not been there. He didn't really seem to have a sense of humor at all—or if he did, it was somewhat twisted. Oliver seemed to be under a considerable amount of stress. His fingers were massaging his temples, and his face wasn't its usual cold mask of stone.

Unintentionally, Claire felt herself feeling bad for him. He didn't usually show his feelings so when he did it had to be pretty serious. Claire's mouth had gone dry, and she cleared her throat before asking, "So you are the oldest vampire there is?"

"Yes. I am the very first vampire. Nobody in the world is older than me."

"Not even Bishop?" Bishop was an evil vampire who'd released the disease that had nearly caused Amelie to lose control of Morganville. It had slowly eaten away at the vampires' sanity. Claire and her crazy—yet genius—boss, Myrnin, had found a cure before it was too late. Now, Claire wasn't sure where Amelie was keeping Bishop, and she didn't care to find out.

At the mention of Bishop, Athena clapped her hands together with a little hop. "Oh, how is the old traitor? He tried to kill me, but he was my first turn. Last I heard Amelie was at war with her father. Oh, and I must speak with her as soon as possible."

Claire's brow rose, Athena was completely different from all the other vampires. She was practically human in the way she acted.

"I will personally arrange a meeting with the Founder," Oliver said with a respectful bow to Athena.

"Thanks, Ollie!" cried Athena as he left the room. Her radiant smile lingered as she stared after him. Then her black eyes blinked and swiveled to look at Claire with curiosity. "I've heard much about you, little Claire. You and your companions have become quite a major gossip subject among my people."

Not quite knowing how to reply to that, Claire stared down at her feet. An awkward silence fell in the room. Claire risked a glance at Athena, and she saw that the pixie-vampire girl was examining her closely.

"I see what Amelie likes about you. On the outside you seem so ordinary, nothing to worry about. But the inside is strong and courageous."

Blinking, Claire muttered, "What?"

Athena's brown hair waved as she shook her head. "You can't see it in yourself. Those like you never can." A wistful expression came over her pixie features.

Oliver brought her out of her reverie when he opened the door and announced, "The Founder has agreed to meet with you, Madam." Madam? Really? Claire laughed inwardly. "She is on her way now."

"No, wait. I wish to meet her somewhere more private." Athena paused for a moment. "I've heard that when Myrnin and Amelie built this place, that they installed a number of special houses. Founder Houses I believe they're called. Why don't we go to one of those? Surely, Amelie keeps one for her own comfort."

"Actually, Madam, no. The Founder has allowed human residents to use the Founder Houses. In fact, Claire shares one with several roommates."

"Ah, yes, I've heard of the Glass House. Owned by young Michael, correct? My sources tell me he is one of our newest fledglings."

Claire was stunned that Athena knew so much. Then again, it wouldn't exactly be all that surprising if Athena were psychic. Weirder things had happened in Morganville.

Just then, Claire could almost see the light bulb lighting up above Athena's head. "Why don't we conjugate in the Glass House? I've heard much about Misters Glass and Collins, along with Miss Rosser."

Claire's stomach plummeted to the floor. Oh God. They're going to kill me for bringing the most powerful vampire in the world into our house for coffee, Claire mentally slapped herself. Oliver hesitated, looking like he wanted to object, but seemed to think better of it and slipped back out to call Amelie again.

Athena settled her tiny frame on the desk, pushing the mess aside to clear a space to sit. "I hope you don't mind, little Claire."

Claire felt her jaw clench in annoyance. Athena was even smaller than Claire, yet she addressed Claire as _little_ Claire. But she swallowed her feelings and mumbled, "No, of course not, Madam."

"Oh, please, call me Athena. I do hope we can be good friends." Kicking her feet back and forth like a fidgety child, Athena grinned kindly. Claire nodded uncomfortably. The door opened to reveal Oliver, his face expressionless. When he spoke, his words were crisp and concise.

"The car ready, Madam."


	4. Chapter 4

**Muchas gracias for all the reviews everyone! Sorry, I'm learning Espanol right now and I'm trying to make a habit out of speaking it. Anyways, I really appreciate your comments, and I promise to write more as soon as I can. I apologize if it takes a while, but I'm trying to publish my book so I've got a busy schedule. But I promise to write more as soon as I can!**

**Chapter 4**

Claire plopped silently into the limousine. Athena's tiny frame followed her with Oliver just behind. Athena slid next to Claire with a content sigh as she brushed her fluffy brown hair back. Oliver shifted into the seat opposite them to stare thoughtfully out the strongly tinted windows. Awkwardly, Claire rested her head on her hand and stared at the floor. The silence dragged on, but Athena hardly seemed to notice. She bounced up and down, drumming her feet against the bench. Claire noticed Athena's seatbelt was tucked behind her back. I used to do that when I was a kid, she thought to herself. Athena truly was the strangest person Claire had ever met.

The limo pulled up in front of the Glass House. Claire quickly exited the car and hurried up the walkway, past the thick, white pillars of the house, hoping to warn her roommates of their unexpected company.

Banging open the front door, she called, "Michael, Eve, Shane! We have company!" A figure appeared at the top of the stairs as Claire dropped her backpack in the hall.

"Yeah, we know." It was Eve. She was standing nervously at the top of the stairs with her clunky platform shoes over red tights printed with black skulls. A short, ragged black skirt hung to the middle of her thighs with chains hanging down from the fabric. Her blouse was plain black but was cut to a point in the front, and she had her usual full-face powder mask on with bright red lips and raccoon eyes.

"What do you mean you know?" Claire asked. In answer, Amelie's pale figure appeared beside Eve. She was dressed in a white suit with her pale blond hair falling around her shoulders in a cascade of silver. "Oh. Where are Michael and Shane?"

"Right here. Why? What's going on?" said a familiar, deep voice. Shane rested his arm on the doorframe of the kitchen, a sandwich in the other hand. Claire saw Michael's blond head peer around Shane's bulky figure to gaze up at the Founder.

"Yeah, I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?" he asked politely. Amelie's sharp, gray eyes looked down at Michael.

"I am here because it seems Claire has run into…an old friend of mine," she replied stonily.

"Oh, come, come, Amelie. You know we're closer than friends." The voice was light and sweet. Athena stepped around Claire to gaze up at Amelie with a wide smile. Claire felt herself shiver slightly. It never felt right to have vampires behind you, even if they looked as innocent as Athena.

Amelie swallowed, which surprised Claire because Amelie was always like a statue. Only things like her father, Bishop, could make her act like this. "My apologies, Lady Athena, I—"

Athena interrupted her with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Enough with all this 'Madam' and 'Lady Athena' stuff. Nobody addresses anyone like that anymore. Please, Amelie, Ollie, it's just Athena."

"As you wish," Oliver said with a slight bow. Athena glanced back at Oliver with a fond smile on her face. When she turned her head to look back at Amelie, she caught sight of Shane and Michael standing in the doorway. She let out a little squeal of delight and rushed forward.

Shane backed away as she swept quickly toward them, but she stopped a foot away from them. "It is a pleasure to meet the both of you," she said, offering her hand to them. Michael's blue eyes stared at her, dumbstruck, while Shane hesitantly took her hand. When Michael continued to simply stare at her, Athena asked, "Is there something wrong, Michael?"

He blinked. "How-How do you know my name?"

Athena giggled and raised her hand to cover her smile shyly. "Well, as I'm sure you can sense, I am the oldest vampire. My blood runs through all vampires', giving me even more powers than my offspring."

Shane's eyes widened with surprise. "Oldest vampire? I thought Amelie was the oldest."

"Oh no, Shane, Amelie is only the fourth eldest, after her father and dear Myrnin of course." There was a long silence while everyone digested that. Then Amelie suggested,

"I have a room prepared for us, Athena. Shall we go?"

"Ah! Of course, everyone, come along." Athena hopped up the stairs cheerfully and, after grabbing them in embraces as greetings, skipped past Eve and Amelie. Amelie looked as if she wanted to object to everyone being the conversation, but she kept her mouth shut. With a heavy sigh, Claire climbed the stairs. At the landing, she stopped in front of Eve who was blinking incredulously at the pixie-like figure skipping down the hall.

"I know right?" Claire said tiredly. She felt big, warm arms tangle themselves around her waist and looked over her shoulder to see Shane gazing at her with concern in his dark eyes. Michael slid past them to hug Eve tightly. He whispered something in her ear, but it was too soft for Claire to make out.

"Are you alright?" Shane muttered, his breath fluttering over her neck like the wings of a butterfly.

"I'm fine, thanks," Claire replied. She began to twist around in his arms so that she could face him, but an irritated voice behind them rumbled,

"Can we get a move on? I do not wish to sit here and watch you children conduct public displays of affection."

Eve frowned and peered around Michael's body to give the speaker—who was undoubtedly Oliver—a mock pouty face. "Oh, get over it, _Ollie_."

Oliver's features turned murderous.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sending out a great big thanks to everyone who has reviewed: DaniellaR-UK, katylou86, and everybody else who's written me reviews! (Sorry, I know that's not everyone but I can't get the names back of the others who have) But your reviews mean the world to me (which really isn't far from the truth, I absolutely adore when people admire my work) and I promise to keep writing as long as you guys want more! 3**

**Chapter 5**

Shane's hand felt warm and rough in Claire's as they stood in the light of the Victorian-style lamps of the secret upstairs room. They threw multi-colored light across the floor and furniture, dying everything in different shades of green, yellow, orange, and red. Amelie settled herself onto one of the Victorian couches, Athena on the one opposite her. Oliver hovered—looking as if he were sulking—in the corner. Eve and Michael were the last to enter the room; they chose to remain standing with Shane and Claire.

"There is something of dire importance that you all must know. But I would rather wait until—" Athena was cut-off by the sudden appearance of a familiar figure at the top of the stairs that led into the room. Myrnin was dressed in what, for him, passed as normal. Long, striped pajama pants hung low on his waist and the pallor of his bare chest showed through a dark overcoat. His black hair curled around his shoulder and his handsome, sharp features looked irritated. And, of course, the ears of the pink fanged-bunny slippers Myrnin favored poked over the bottom hems of his pants.

Claire's boss hardly gave her a glance before striding past her and her friends and stopping in front of Athena. His look of agitation changed to astonished pleasure when he looked down at her. Myrnin bent in a truly heartfelt bow to her. Then he straightened up, took Athena's hand in his, kissed it lightly, and purred, "It is a pleasant surprise to see you again, my dear. I never thought I would." A smile tugged at Athena's lips as she took her hand back and laughed softly,

"Always the gentleman, Myrnin, and how I've missed that quality." Myrnin bowed graciously again then plopped quite ungracefully down next to Amelie.

"So I assume you have something of importance to inform us of? Otherwise you wouldn't be here, would you?" Myrnin's voice changed from polite to extremely casual. Claire noticed Oliver roll his eyes and fix his arms across his chest. "So, my dear, do explain your joyous, if sudden, reappearance."

"Well, Myrnin, you are correct in assuming that I have come here to tell you something. And it _is_ extremely important," Athena said.

"If it is vampire business, I don't understand why the children are here," Oliver growled. Shane instantly retaliated by lifting his arm over Michael's head, a finger pointing down at his fair hair.

"Vamp boy right here. Where he goes, we go," he announced. Michael smacked Shane's hand out of the air.

Oliver's face twisted into an arrogant sneer. "Even though he is one of us, he is far too young to be included in this conversation."

"Yeah, you not only have to suck blood but be centuries old to be included, right?"

"Enough." It was Athena. She was gazing at Oliver with something deep in her dark eyes that Claire couldn't read, but it looked personal. "Bickering will get us nowhere, and I want them in here, Ollie. They need to hear this. They may be able to help us."

"What in the world could a fledgling vampire and three humans help us with?" Myrnin asked incredulously. It was so like him to regard humans as inferior.

"You know they are not ordinary humans. Nor is Michael a normal fledgling." Claire felt a little surprised. Not many vampires would stand up for humans.

"Whatever, just get on with it, please. As you can see, you called for me at quite a bad time." There was a long silence. Eve was the first to find the gall to ask,

"And what time was that exactly?"

Myrnin's eyes widened and his mouth twisted with pleasure, "Well, you see, my child—"

"Can we skip the ramblings of the insane and hear what Mad-Athena has to say?" Oliver sounded agitated, but then again, he always seemed to sound like he had a stick up his ass.

"Thank you, Ollie. Anyway, I need to tell you, Morganville will soon fall under a massive attack."

"An attack from whom?" Claire asked. It had become pretty much customary for some kind of disturbance to crop up every once in a while in Morganville, so they took things like this in stride.

"From creatures I call Darklings. They originated in the Dark Isle, hence their name."

"What is the Dark Isle?" asked Michael.

"They don't teach you of this? It's only one of the most important places in vampire history! The Dark Isle is my birthplace, both vampire birth and human. But I suppose the humans wouldn't know of it, since they can no longer reach it. You see, the Dark Isle is very hard to find. One must first become lost to find it."

"You have to get lost to so you can look for a place?" Shane repeated. Athena nodded.

"The Dark Isle is also the place where many great battles took place, such as the Black Wars."

"The Black Wars?" Claire said. She wasn't used to not knowing what people were talking about, and it was beginning to annoy her.

"It is the brutal war between the humans and vampires of the Dark Isle. We won, of course, resulting in every inhabitant of the isle turning into vampires."

"Well, if humans can't get to the Dark Isle and every person there was a vampire, then why leave?" Shane asked. He had a point.

Athena's face darkened, along with every other vampire's in the room except for Michael's. He was as clueless as the rest of them. "We were forced out of the Dark Isle by vicious creatures the humans had created as weapons against us," Amelie explained.

"What kind of creatures?"

Athena answered, "They were horrible beasts that had once been human, but had been purposefully mutated by their fellow humans into something wild, cruel, and mindless. The humans gave them fangs and claws as sturdy as steel to rip our throats out. They also manipulated their DNA to make them equal to us in strength and speed. The beings needed little nutrition and could roam during the day, giving them even more advantages. And they somehow discovered a way to make them produce fur that was coated with silver; it circled their necks like manes and ran down their backs in long stripes. The Black Wars might have turned out differently if the humans had had more time to produce more of the creatures. Luckily, we turned—or killed—all those not on our side before they could. But then, the things began to reproduce in numbers too high for us to deal with. So we left."

"Then what happened to the Darklings?" Eve asked.

Athena bit her lip. "That was what I needed to tell you. The Darklings have somehow escaped the Dark Isle. They're on their way here, right now."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Amelie's eyes widened from shock and horror. "What do you mean? I thought you—"

Athena interrupted, "I did, Amelie. You and Myrnin were witness to it. But I've grown weak from exhaustion. Much like Atlas was crushed under the earth's weight, I was being crushed with the weight of keeping the wards around the Dark Isle."

"Excuse me, but what are you talking about? What wards?" Eve asked.

"When we left the Dark Isle, Athena chose to stay behind to ensure that the Darklings couldn't follow us," Myrnin said.

"And to complete that task, she enforced wards on the outer limits of the isle. They prevented anything from getting in or out," Oliver added. Something in his voice made him sound…proud?

"Kind of like what the machine Myrnin created does for Morganville," Claire realized.

"It is very similar, yes. However, I don't need a machine to channel my powers. Though, now that I think about it, it probably would've prevented me from tiring if I didn't have to do all of the work manually…" Athena trailed off thoughtfully.

"The question we face now is what are we going to do about the Darklings?" Oliver muttered.

"Well, shouldn't you be able to take care of them? I mean you are incredibly powerful, and surely you're more powerful now than you were when you first put up the wards," Michael said to Athena. He spoke with such certainty about her power that Claire wondered if he knew something they didn't.

A small smile teased Athena's lips. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft with regret. "I wish I could. But my powers alone, however incredible, are no match for the Darklings. Their powers seem to cancel out my own whenever I try to attack."

"So what? We just sit on our asses and wait for them to come and slaughter us?" Shane spat indignantly. He stood with his arms across his chest, glaring in Athena and Amelie's direction. To Claire, he sometimes looked just as menacing as any vampire could be.

"Of course not, you foolish boy. Honestly, Claire, sometimes I worry about your judgment on companions," Myrnin scowled, picking at his fingernails disinterestedly. Claire saw Shane's eyes flash, and she grabbed his arm to prevent him from trying anything stupid before retaliating,

"My personal life is none of your business, Myrnin."

"Oh, yes it is, my dear because you see, I own you."

Shane ripped free of Claire's grip before she even got a chance to register what Myrnin said. Thankfully, Michael intercepted him before he got very far. Myrnin appeared unfazed by the attempt; he was still deeply interested in his nails.

"Stop it, Shane," Claire commanded as he continued to fight to free himself from Michael. When she spoke, however, he froze and looked back at her. She felt a little offended. "I can take care of myself."

"But Claire—" Shane began, but she cut him off.

"I've dealt with him before." She turned angrily to Myrnin, her fingers digging painfully into her palms. "We've been over this before, Myrnin. You do _not_ own me. I work for you. It's different from being your slave."

Athena glared at Myrnin sternly, almost like a loving mother would at her disobedient child. "Myrnin dear, you know better than that."

For a moment, it almost seemed like he might attack her. But then he flourished his hand in the air and bent his head in a mini bow.

Claire heard Oliver scoff in disgust.

"Back to the subject at hand, no, Mr. Collins, we do not plan to simply wait. We will take action," Amelie said.

"Okay, what kind of action?" Shane asked, shaking off Michael and stepping back to take Claire's hand in his again. Before anyone could reply, a small voice muttered,

"Um, wouldn't the machine in Morganville keep the Darklings from getting in?" It was Eve. She clung to Michael's arm as everybody turned to look at her.

Athena grinned kindly to her. "An excellent question. Sadly, no, Myrnin's machine does not have the ability to prevent the creatures from invading. It was difficult for even me, so naturally, a simple device would not suffice."

Claire pictured the complicated array of wires, pipes, and who knows what else that Myrnin had created. It was anything but a simple device. She was tempted to say so, but instead asked, "Then what are we going to do?"

"Well, there's no way our limited number of vampires can prevail against the numbers of Darklings."

"So…?" Shane growled impatiently.

"So I suggest we bait them into a trap."

"What kind of trap?" Michael asked apprehensively.

"One they cannot resist."

"What's the bait?" Eve asked.

Athena slowly lifted her hand to point at Michael. "Him."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's been so long since I've written. I made this one extra-long to make up for it. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 7**

"Me?" Michael gasped, taken aback. Athena looked sympathetic but determined.

"Yes. I'm afraid that the younger a vampire is, the more the Darklings are attracted to it. I think it has something to do with the scent. You still smell somewhat of your human self, whereas those like myself, Amelie, Ollie, and Myrnin would smell entirely of vampire. And I believe the Darklings are bitter toward humans for what they did. To create Darklings, the humans had to put their fellow men through numerous tortures, and the Darklings remember that pain," Athena explained. She almost sounded like she felt bad for the Darklings.

"Michael is _not_ bait," Eve growled. She too looked determined, just like Athena.

"I know it is not an ideal plan, but if we do not use Michael, then it may not work. If we use someone older then the Darklings may be drawn away toward the younger ones instead."

A question struck Claire. "If Darklings are still bitter towards humans, why wouldn't they go after the humans here? Or even in the cities between the Dark Isle and here, for that matter?"

Athena blinked. "Such a young, inquisitive mind. The answer to your question, little Claire, is that humans not descended from the Dark Isle smell quite different from those who _are_ from the isle, which there are none of anymore. However, when a vampire is born, the vampire mixture of the two scents creates the illusion of a human descended from the isle. That is why the Darklings are so strongly attracted to fledglings."

"So they won't attack humans?"

"Not unless a human gets in their way. However, there have been instances where certain individuals have acted neutral, even kind, toward humans."

"None of that matters! You _cannot_ throw Michael out there like a piece of meat!" Eve's face was flushed with anger even through the makeup.

Michael laid a pale hand on Eve's shoulder. Claire looked at him. Dark veins webbed along his hand and lined his throat. His blue eyes glowed under blond curls as they stared into Eve's dark ones. "It is okay, Eve." She gazed up at his face, unshed tears shining when she blinked. He pulled her head under his chin, flattening her spikey black hair as he rested his cheek on her head. He turned his glance on Athena. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure? I will not make you do anything you don't want to, Michael. You must understand what this task entails. Your life will be in jeopardy." She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. "You can still change your mind," she replied. Michael closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, a light full of resolve glimmered as he stared straight ahead.

"I won't change my mind. I will do it," he said. Claire felt her throat constrict.

"Very well. If you wish, you may leave while Myrnin, Amelie, Ollie, and I discuss the trap we are to set."

Michael nodded and guided Eve's hunched figure to the stairs. Claire heard the soft pop of the door as it opened, and Eve's sniffles faded as they disappeared down the hall. Shane stepped toward the door and turned to look back at her. "Do you want to go too?" he asked. Claire considered for a moment. Then she—though it probably didn't keep the rest from hearing anyway—whispered,

"I think maybe we should stay here as sort of representatives for Michael."

Shane nodded in understanding and took a step back closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Claire turned to see Athena watching her with amusement and curiosity sparkling in her eyes. Her feathery, brown locks swayed as she twisted her head like a confused puppy might. "You wish to stay." She made it a statement, not a question. All the same, Claire nodded in confirmation. With a smile, Athena began, "Now then, I estimate that we have less than twenty-four hours before the Darklings arrive, roughly twenty-one, if I'm not mistaken."

"How can you tell?" Shane inquired.

"Our kind has developed a sense for Darkling activity. Even Michael would've felt it when they escaped, even if he didn't understand what he was feeling." Now that she mentioned it, Claire had noticed that Michael had seemed a little on edge lately.

"Where do you plan on setting up this trap?" Oliver asked. He'd been so quiet and motionless for so long that Claire had almost forgotten he was there. She jumped when he spoke. If he noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Well, I was scoping out ideal areas when I quite literally ran into Claire. However, I believe that this will be safer if we place the trap as far away from humans as we can. I believe there is a kind of warehouse section to your town, Amelie? I think one of those buildings should suffice."

"What exactly is Michael going to have to do?" Claire asked. She had a growing suspicion that whatever it was that Athena had planned for him, it was going to be extremely dangerous.

Indeed, Athena's eyes were full of reluctance and regret when she gazed up at Claire. "I'm afraid that Michael will have to allow the Darkling's to ambush him. Then he'll need to lure them to the building where the trap will be waiting for them."

"I still don't understand what this trap is." Shane said.

"Once Michael brings the Darklings to the designated building, we will pull him out and unleash the only thing that has appeared to have any negative effect on them: fire," Myrnin answered. His dark eyes were fixed on Shane's face as if he were interested in seeing his reaction. But the only change in Shane's expression was the narrowing of his cocoa hued eyes and the tightening of his strong jaw.

"Is there a foolproof way to make one-hundred percent sure that Michael won't be injured?" Claire rarely heard him sound so _solemn_.

Athena slowly shook her head in response. For a moment, it looked like Shane might start yelling, but after a great physical effort, he slacked his tensed shoulders and uncurled his fists. Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through is shaggy, black hair and stared at Athena. "As long as Mikey's okay with it I can deal." A relieved smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.

"Believe me, Shane, if I had any better choice, I'd take it. Life is too precious to put at risk easily." With that, she fluidly stood and swept from the room.

Claire sighed as she dumped the noodles into the pot of water. She and Eve had decided to cook dinner while everybody else discussed the preparations for the trap. The atmosphere in the kitchen felt heavy with worry. Eve never met Claire's eyes, keeping her eyes down on whatever she was doing, and she wouldn't speak a word. Claire stabbed at conversation a couple times, but the only response she got was a grunt or nod of the head. Eve's mood worried Claire. Usually, Eve was a chatterbox when she was nervous or anxious.

Finally, the silence was broken by the creak of the kitchen door as it swung open, revealing a very tired-looking Michael. When Eve saw him, she hurried into his outstretched arms. Claire smiled at him when he glanced at her over Eve's dark hair. "So what's going on?" Claire asked.

"We're going over there tonight to set up everything. I'm going to have to stay there all night," Michael told her. Eve made a noise somewhere between a whine and a sob and hugged Michael closer to her.

"When are you leaving?"

"Now. I just came in here to say good-bye." Claire took the hint, turned to stove off, and left to look for Shane. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at his hands clasped in his lap. The vampires were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey," Claire whispered as she sank down next to him. His brown eyes turned toward her. What she saw in them scared the hell out of her. They were full of confusion and defeat. She tried asking what was wrong, but the words caught in her throat.

"He's not coming back," Shane said. There was nothing in his voice, just a cold certainty.

"How do you know? Myrnin said they would pull him out before the Darklings could get to him."

"I can just feel it." His eyes turned back to his hands. Claire felt so empty, so cold. She wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her cheek on his shoulder.

Behind them, the soft clunk of Eve's shoes alerted them to her approach. She was still clinging to Michael like a frightened kitten.

Suddenly, Athena, Amelie, Myrnin, and Oliver appeared at the end of the couch. Athena's sympathetic tone rang through the room like a bell. "It is time."

Michael turned to Eve and looked deeply into her eyes. Stroking his thumb across her cheek, he leaned down to place his lips softly on her forehead. She closed her eyes, and Claire noticed a single tear roll down her face, leaving a dirty trail of mascara. Then Michael pulled away from her, ruffled Claire's hair and reached a hand toward Shane. Claire rolled her eyes. Boys. But Shane didn't take Michael's hand. Instead, he stood up and yanked Michael into a bear hug. When they parted Michael was smiling slightly. He took Eve's hand without looking at her, squeezed it tight then stepped toward Athena. "I'm ready."

Athena's black eyes blinked and she nodded.

Then the house exploded in a shower of glass.


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so after this one, I will try and make the chapters longer as requested. :) And hopefully I'll get a lot of writing done during Fall Break that's coming up! :D Can't wait! Thanks everyone for the reviews! 3**

**Chapter 8**

Eve's shrieks split the air as the world fell into chaos around Claire. She caught a glimpse of Michael's face—fangs extended and blue eyes turned red—before everything was obscured by various shades of shiny fur.

Shane grabbed her arm and tugged her to the wall. He pushed her behind the couch and ducked down beside her. Vicious, inhuman snarls filled the air, making Claire want to cover her ears. Claire sheltered her head as a body appeared, flying over the sofa. The figure skidded to a halt and turned to look at her and Shane. Time seemed to pause as Claire stared, intrigued, at the being crouched in front of them.

Unnatural, silver eyes glared back at her, the lips beneath them curled into a sneer that revealed fangs as long as her fingers. Thick, black fur with a strange sheen rose along the thing's spine. Though its face looked human, there was very little human about it. Only parts of its appearance looked human. If anything, it looked like a cross between an early human and a wolf. Claire heard herself scream as the creature lunged at her, dirty, knife-sharp talons outstretched. Shane's arms crushed her closer to him as he shielded her with his body. Horror gripped her when she pictured the creature's claws being buried in Shane's back.

But nothing happened.

In fact, Shane had moved away from her to stare at the dog-like thing. When she peered around his shoulder, she understood why he was gawking. A tiny pixie figure was struggling with the dog-thing. Athena's fangs flashed white as she bared them in a snarl. Her black eyes were now entirely blacked out, casting the reflection of the creature. She rolled on top of his stomach, raking her hands down its flanks. Her fingers left long, red gouges on the thing's bare skin. He squealed in anger and grabbed Athena like he wanted to hug her. He seemed to be trying to smother her in his fur, but she ripped at the skin along its arms until it finally released her.

Athena looked like a demon as she straightened up, an insane smile on her lips as she looked down at the cringing dog-thing. A hiss came from her, and she poised to strike again. Then a roar sounded behind her. She twisted with lightning speed. The next thing Claire knew, a blond-furred dog-thing crumpled to the floor at Athena's feet, its neck at a very wrong angle.

Once more, Athena turned her crazed grin on the cowering creature she's been tussling with earlier. But Claire couldn't watch anymore. She closed her eyes and covered her ears, but she still heard the creature's mournful howl cutoff abruptly.

Claire stayed like that until she felt a big, warm hand shake her shoulder gently. She took her hands off her ears and peaked up to see Shane's brown eyes gazing down at her. "Hey, it's okay; they're gone," he assured her. He offered her a hand, and when she took it, he pulled her on her feet and into his arms. Claire felt her heartbeat slowing as she sank into the warmth and solidity of his body.

When she surface, she looked around to see that most everybody was okay. Only Michael had angry burns on his hands and arms, but they were already healing. Oliver was scrutinizing a cut along his forearm; it too was healing. Claire noticed Athena staring at Oliver with something vulnerable in her eyes, but it disappeared too quickly for Claire to identify it. "Is everyone all right?" she asked, glancing around. All of the older vampires seemed mostly unfazed, though Michael, Claire, Eve, and Shane all felt shaken.

"I thought you said we had twenty-one hours until they got here," growled Michael. So those _were_ the Darklings, Claire thought to herself.

"We do. Those Darklings were rogues. They've broken from the pack. I didn't sense them because there were so few of them, and I've been concentrating on the main pack," Athena replied. She closed her eyes and touched her forefinger to space between them like she was thinking. "This ruins our plan. They're working in separate groups so we cannot be sure we'll get them all in one strike."

"Then what should we do?" Claire asked. Shane still had his arms wrapped around her and she was extremely reluctant to move from them, especially since she suddenly felt very tired. It was probably from shock.

Instead of answering Claire's question, Athena's head snapped up, her black eyes—now back to normal—wide and shiny. Claire heard her sniff the air softly as everyone became still and silent. Athena swiveled around to face the dining room. Without a sound, she drifted to the doorway. Peering around the doorframe, she jumped back, hissing like a snake. The rest of them hurried over. At first, Claire didn't see what Athena was hissing at, but then the reddish-coppery fur caught the light, drawing her gaze.

Trembling under the big dining room table was a Darkling. His silver eyes were wide in terror as he stared at them from between the maze of chairs. Athena zipped forward before anyone could react and grabbed him by the fur on his neck. She dragged him out from under the table, his claws raking the carpet and his voice rising in a shrill howl. "Wait." It was Eve. She was gazing at the creature with big, dark eyes. "Don't hurt him."

"What are you talking about? This creature will kill us all the first chance he gets," Oliver growled.

"If he wanted to hurt us, he'd have already done it!" Eve said, her voice very close to a shout. The Darkling was balled up and whimpering, his hands over his head as if he wanted to hide from them.

Athena looked from Eve to the Darkling. "Eve, I understand your compassion, but Ollie is right. These beings cannot help themselves when it comes to destroying our kind."

Eve took a determined step forward. "You said before that they were mindless. Well, he seems to have enough of a mind to fear for his life. Those others didn't care about their lives. Even though they were outnumbered, they still fought relentlessly. But he is afraid."

Suddenly, the Darkling made a sad groaning sound. It sounded as if…he said, "Please." Athena released her hold of his fur and backed away from him, black eyes wide in surprise. Myrnin walked toward the Darkling, gazing at him with fascination.

"It seems as if this one still retains some of his human self. He can still speak somewhat. They must not have finished his transformation," he said, bending down to get a good look at the creature. The Darkling yelped and scuttled backward into the wall.

Eve stepped toward him. Michael grabbed her arm, but she shook him off. "Eve, be careful," he said worriedly. She crept slowly toward the beast, her hand stretched out palm-down.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she muttered softly, kneeling in front of the Darkling. Gradually, his tremors began to fade, and he lowered his fingers from his face. Claire saw that his face had once probably been quite attractive, but was now spattered with ugly scars. Eve touched her hand to his shoulder carefully. Shane tensed up beside Claire, and she squeezed his hand.

The Darkling hesitantly placed a clawed hand in Eve's other outstretched one. She slowly stood up, pulling the Darkling with her. He stood on all fours—except the one in Eve's hand—and gazed at the rest of them nervously.

Patiently, Eve guided the Darkling into the den. Everyone followed in awe.

When he reached the living room, Shane plopped down onto the sofa, looking exhausted. Immediately, the Darkling hopped up beside him. Shane stared wide-eyed at the Darkling.

Just like a dog, the Darkling's tongue lolled out between his huge fangs as he looked at Shane. For the first time, Claire noticed he had a shaggy tail, and it was wagging enthusiastically. "I think he likes you," Claire giggled.

Shane opened his mouth to retort with something smart, but the Darkling leaned forward and rasped his tongue up Shane's cheek. Everybody—even the older vamps—couldn't help but laugh a little. Shane's open mouth turned into a huge, horrified grimace. Without moving, he gasped dramatically, "I feel so violated." Then he looked at the Darkling, glancing up and down as if he were sizing him up. The moment he looked down, he whipped his head in the opposite direction saying, "_Okay_, if he's staying he's going to have to wear some pants."


	9. Chapter 9

**WHOO! Okay, so I finished this as fast as I could, and I seriously think you'll enjoy this chapter… I know I did! ;)**

**Chapter 9**

When the laughter finally died down, Claire settled herself on the sofa next to Shane. The Darkling laid his head in Shane's lap, closing his eyes contentedly. In response, Shane raised his hands in the air and stared down, horrified at the Darkling. "This is _so_ wrong," he said. Athena moved around the couch, placing a hand in the coppery colored fur around the Darkling's neck. The creature's silver eyes opened to gaze into hers.

She took her palm from his fur and stared at it, captivated. "It would seem that I have become immune to silver," she stated. Her voice was full of fascination. Claire realized that it had to be true. The Darkling's fur was coated with a thin film of silver that gave it a sort of eerie glow, but Athena's skin remained unaffected. She hadn't realized it before but it hadn't hurt Athena when she'd fought with those other Darklings either.

"You never were affected by it like the rest of us were. It would barely even cause burns on your skin. Your age has probably made you immune now, in addition to your being the first," Myrnin concluded.

"Interesting," was all Athena said.

"If we're finished with the small talk, can someone get this thing _off_ of me, please?" Shane whined. Rolling her eyes, Eve dropped down on the other side of the Darkling.

"But he likes you," she said. Looking down at the Darkling, she ruffled his head and made a kissy face as she continued, "He's just being a big meanie isn't he, sweetie?" Shane made a face, making Claire laugh. Michael—who stood behind the couch—clapped his hands on Shane's shoulders.

"Come on man, he's like a huge, half-naked puppy," Michael chuckled.

"And that _doesn't_ freak you out?" Shane asked incredulously. Claire laid a hand on his each of his still-upraised arms, tugging them gently back down to his sides. Somehow one of those toned arms ended up curling around her shoulders

"Oh, calm down. You're being such a boy," Claire laughed, snuggling closer to his warmth. She was suddenly overtaken by a feeling of immense exhaustion. Somehow her eyes closed without her telling them to. She felt his arm hugging her tightly to his side, making her feel protected. The voices around her began to fade in and out of focus. She seemed to be falling through a tunnel of protection and warmth.

Athena watched Shane stroke Claire's hair. She heard the younger girl's heartbeat slow gradually, and her tensed muscles relaxed as she fell into a deep sleep. Something wrenched in Athena's heart that she was reluctant to admit was there. Eve's voice brought Athena out of her thoughts. "I think we should give him a name," Eve was saying.

"Naming him suggests that we're keeping him," Shane grimaced.

"Who says we can't?"

"I do!" Shane's voice had risen to an urgent whisper so as not a wake Claire. Myrnin rolled his eyes.

"Can we postpone this childish bickering until after I've left? I've wasted enough of my time in this house," he sniffed distastefully.

"Myrnin, I apologize for _wasting your time_, but we need to decide what we're going to do now that the trap won't work." Athena's tone was light with amusement, a little smile spreading on her lips.

He flourished a half-sarcastic bow in her direction before asking, "What is it you propose we do, Madam Athena?"

"I don't know. That's why I said we should _decide_." Irritation began leaking into her voice.

"I suggest we stay here tonight. It is quite obvious the Darklings are targeting this house. Those that we did not kill are still lurking outside," said Amelie. Eve gave a little gasp and jumped up to look out the glassless window. Michael moved to put a hand gently on her shoulder.

He turned his head to look back at us. "Why do you need to stay? Couldn't we all leave?"

"They would just follow us. Once they zero in on a target, they rarely move on until that target has been destroyed," explained Athena.

"So why are we letting this one stay in here with us? He could be a spy or something," Shane said, gesturing toward the dog-like shape lying across his lap.

Eve turned on him with a disapproving expression. "Oh please, you just want him out because he gave you a little kiss on the cheek!"

"Yeah, and?"

Eve rolled her eyes in the most theatrical way Athena had ever seen—and she'd been alive when the eye-roll was invented. Just then, Michael lifted his eyes to the door to the kitchen. "Eve, I think dinner is burning." She gave a little yelp and hurried into the kitchen, Michael hot in pursuit.

Athena noticed surreptitiously that Shane had placed a hesitant hand in the Darkling's coppery fur. "He seems harmless enough. He even allowed me to touch him. I think he may be a valuable asset; you should let him stay," urged Athena. Shane glanced at her. The light in his eyes appeared to be changing to one of careful affection as he gazed at the Darkling. As Athena watched, the metallic-looking fur rustled over substantial muscles as the creature shifted to look at Shane, his tail gently swaying back and forth.

"He really does seem to enjoy your company. You should feel grateful. If you befriend him, he's likely to protect you to the death," Myrnin commented. He too surveyed the scene before them with interest sparking in his dark eyes.

Moving closer to the sofa, Athena once again ran her fingers through the surprisingly feathery, red-brown fur. "You really should name him." She noticed that the Darkling's flanks rose and fell with the steadiness of slumber, and a secret sort of smile curved her lips.

"Thomas." Shane's voice was low, almost a whisper, as he gazed warmly at the sleeping beast. "Tommy for short."

It was a dream, of that Claire was sure. But knowing that didn't make it any less terrifying. Swirls of ash danced around her like spirits of the dead. Spatters of blood littered the blackness like the brake lights of a car just before a crash. Voices, familiar yet distorted, rang through her mind, not the air. They screamed of pain, suffering, fear, and death. Just then, Claire whirled around only to be paralyzed by the sight of a pair of silver, burning eyes. Those eyes seemed to be sucking her in, dragging her to the unknown. She shrieked, calling Shane's name over and over.

A very solid hand gripped her arm, almost hard enough to bruise, and shook her around like a ragdoll.

"Claire!"

That's Shane's voice, Claire thought. She felt blurry, as if she were a lens that desperately needed cleaning. Her mind was working at less than half capacity.

"Claire, wake up already!" Finally, Claire's lids did as commanded and slid open to focus on Shane's flustered face. When he saw she was awake, his expression slumped to one of extreme relief. "Dammit, Claire! You scared the hell of me. I thought one of the vamps was trying to drain you or something." Suddenly, Claire became very aware that a damp _thing_ was rasping against the back of her hand which lay off the edge of her bed—how did she get there?—where Shane stood. He blocked her view of whatever it was so she drew her hand back quickly, holding it tightly to her chest. She could feel her still-racing heartbeat through her T-shirt. So she was still in the same clothes. "Sorry, he's like a licking maniac. Thomas, stop it, bud. She doesn't need a bath."

"Thomas?" Claire asked, attempting to swallow the bitter taste of fear that lingered in her mouth. Shane looked at her, kind of embarrassed.

"Yeah…we ended up keeping the Darkling. He's basically just a very large and slightly naked dog so I can deal. It's not a bad idea to have a little extra protection around here either."

Claire smiled weakly. "Did you name him?"

Shane nodded in confirmation, sitting on the bed so that he was perched adjacent to her leg. He reached out to stroke the penny-colored hair on Thomas's head. "Eve wanted to call him something weird like Castle or Cattle or…something. But I thought he needed a simple name because, well, he's a simple kind of being."

Claire gazed at Shane in the dim light of the moon that streamed through the thin curtains of her windows. She'd never seen him act like this, except maybe toward her, but that was more romantic. This was…friendly. The classic boy and his best friend—however not-classic their situation was what with the Thomas not actually being a dog and the vampire element in the background.

With a warm feeling in her heart, Claire started to lie back down, but her eyes landed on Thomas's. The Darkling was gazing fondly up at Shane with _silver eyes_. Suddenly, Claire felt filthy and slightly sick. "You know what? I think you're wrong about my not needing a bath," was all she said before thrusting past the two newly-found friends, grabbing some pajamas, and bee lining for the bathroom.

She sank onto the toilet lid as the running water began to steam up the mirror. The warmth was comforting as it surrounded her shivering frame. She'd broken out in a cold sweat, but her roiling stomach eased as the heat soaked in through her pores. Quickly she stripped and stepped into the rushing water. She took her time, seeing as it was rather late and no one else would be needing to use the shower for some time. When she finished, she combed out her wet hair, threw on a pair of comfortable pajama pants and a tank top and shuffled back to her room. Claire felt a little stab of disappointment at seeing that Shane had left, along with Thomas. She felt a little guilty for freaking at the sight of Thomas's eyes. He was sweet, unlike his vicious brethren but his eyes were identical to those in her nightmare. Then again, so were all the Darklings'.

With a content sigh, Claire shimmied under her fluffy comforter and awaited the peace of sleep. But it never came. She simply stared unblinking at her ceiling. Heaving an irritated sigh, she clambered out of bed, deciding to grab a glass of water. As she padded down the hall, she paused at Shane's bedroom door. It was cracked so she peeked in. Even before she could make out any shapes in the darkness, she knew Shane was asleep because she heard his soft snores. There was a second set of gentle snuffles, and she noticed the reddish lump on the floor beside Shane's bed. Thomas slept peacefully, and Claire had to admit he really was quite adorable. His curled form, similar to that of a dog, rose and fell slightly with each breath.

A tiny grin teasing her lips, Claire closed Shane's door and started again for the stairs.

When she reached the bottom, she was surprised to hear voices drifting through the windows—which were now covered thinly with cardboard. Against her better judgment, Claire crept to the where the voices were strongest.

"There are only two of them left. They won't try attacking again when they know there are several powerful vampires guarding the house." That smooth, cool voice was Oliver's.

A younger, lighter voice replied, "I expect we killed their leader. Without leadership, the Darklings cannot function well." It was Athena. Claire risked a glimpse and carefully pulled at the cardboard that covered the opening. The moon was nearly full, illuminating the yard of the Glass House in an eerie yet beautiful wash of pale light. On the steps of the porch sat the dark figures of Athena and Oliver. Claire noticed that they sat unusually close. There was a long silence before Athena began, "Ollie—"

"Don't. Madam, I grow tired of you calling me that." Oliver's voice had taken on a sharp edge, sharp as a knife.

"And I have already told you I dislike you call me _that_," she retaliated. Her voice was equally cold as his was barbed. Another long silence. Then Athena sighed, "You never even gave me chance to apologize or explain."

"I think I had a right not to; seeing as you never allowed me an opportunity for _anything_."

"Do _not_ try to pin this on me, Oliver!"

"_You_ were the one who left _me_! For that weasel Balthazar!" Oliver's tone had risen to a pained whine, something Claire never thought she'd hear from him.

Athena paused before she replied, her voice very soft, "I never left you, Oliver."

"Oh no? It damn well looked like it what with that Blood Bond between you two." Oliver rose from the steps, and Claire froze at the thought that he might catch her eavesdropping. That would mean certain death.

"It's not like I had a choice!" Athena's tone was now desperate for Oliver to understand.

Oliver seemed to pause like a movie, totally still, before he sprang back into action. He wrenched Athena up so fast that Claire almost didn't see it and slammed her into the side of the house. They were only a couple of feet away from Claire's window. She knew she should leave, but something kept her straining to see their tensed shadows.

"You had a choice. You could've come with me. We could've left that world behind, started anew." Until that point, Oliver's voice was gentle murmur, but when he continued, a bitter resentment spilled through his tone. "But you stayed behind. You betrayed me."

Athena's chest was—though Claire knew she didn't even need the breath—heaving as she stared up into Oliver's face. "I had to. The vampire race would have been exterminated had I run away with you, Oliver." Her voice dripped with regret. What she said next was so quiet, Claire had to assume the uttered words were, "I'm so, so sorry."

A short pause followed then something happened that made Claire's whole world turn upside-down.


	10. Chapter 10

**DaniellaR, your review made me LOL (getting me weird stares from my family) thanks so much :) Thanks for the reviews everybody! I'm serious when I say reviews=cookies…or anything else totally awesome haha! :D**

**Chapter 10**

Oliver's hands trapped Athena's against the wall. Her unnecessary breath fluttered across this cheek as he leaned closer, pressing her with his body into the house. His gaze never tearing away from hers, he brushed his lips tenderly over hers. It wasn't even a kiss, but it forced a soft moan from Athena's lips. Her black eyes slid closed as her senses burst into life as if they'd been dormant for centuries. Fire spread from the places where their skin met.

Suddenly, Oliver released her hands to tangle his fingers in her short, brown hair. He yanked her face to his, aggressive as he'd always been, yet with a sort of careful sweetness. This time, he really did kiss her. His lips embraced hers with a dark hunger that seemed to be flowing into her from his touch.

Athena pricked her tongue on his fangs—which had slid down from sheer loss of control—though they could've been her own. But she hardly noticed. Her freed hands strayed over the tensed muscles in his arms. They roamed over his chest, which swelled with the effort of regaining control. She couldn't stop them from traveling to the hem of his shirt and lifting the tie-dye T-shirt to skim her fingers lightly over the stony abs which it concealed. Oliver gasped against her mouth as her hands road up, baring his chest.

Just as suddenly as it had all started, it stopped. Oliver wrenched away from Athena's groping hands, making her grunt in disappointment. He was braced against one of the large white pillars, the muscles in his back and shoulders tensed like wire pulled tight. Even though he didn't need to, he breathed heavily. Athena felt her heartbeat drumming in her head. Yes, she had a working heart. As the first vampire, it hadn't been necessary for her to die to become one. In the deepest sense she was still alive. She simply didn't_ need_ her functioning organs. She gulped cool night air to calm the racing of her live heart as she slumped limply against the house.

Athena began to say something breathlessly, but before she could even finish the first syllable, Oliver let out a loud snarl of—frustration?—and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Forcing tears back, Athena let her knees crumble beneath her. Though she was centuries old, her body was still in the form of her sixteen year old self, however mature she had looked for her age at the time. And with that form came the responsibilities of a sixteen year old body. Her body and mind had responded to Oliver's…everything. His scent, his touch, the sight of him, the taste of his kiss, the wonderful song of his voice. Over the years the memories of these things had faded. Nothing could have prepared her for this awakening of her senses. And nothing could have prepared her for the feelings that washed over her as those things were stolen from her with Oliver's vanished figure.

Claire felt an odd mixture of feelings as she watched Athena's form fold to the ground like a falling towel. Disgust unfurled in her stomach at the fact that anyone could kiss _Oliver_ let alone make out with him. Curiosity tugged at her mind about what their past was. Guilt wrenched in her heart at having witnessed this scene. And a very strange…delight that even people like Oliver could find love. All the relationships she'd seen him have were acquaintances, enemies, and allies. Never had she seen him with friends or girlfriends. She'd discovered that he harbored some mixed feelings for Amelie, but those were dismissed seeing as they both thought it best to just stay allies.

Athena stayed crouched for a long time. Claire couldn't look away; she felt glued to the spot.

Finally, Athena's little pixie figure straightened up. For a moment she just stood there, the light of the moon reflecting in her black eyes. Then, she leapt from the porch silently. In the moonlight, Claire watched Athena be surrounded by hunched, deformed shadows. Before Claire could even think to call for help, Athena dispatched all three of the Darklings in one swift, emotionless movement.

They crumpled to the ground at her feet. As Claire looked on, Athena turned her face to the big, round moon, her features illuminated with its eerie light.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks like crystalized moon drops. Claire felt her heart ache for Athena. The pain that showed on the vampire's face was unbearable just to look at.

The alarm on her phone sounded, jerking Claire out of a restless slumber. She tumbled out of bed groggily, grabbing clean clothes before she headed to the bathroom. Her morning classes could really be a pain sometimes. She normally wouldn't mind, but after last night, having to wake up before dawn wasn't so pleasant.

When she was through with her shower, a soft knock sounded at the door. She finished dressing quickly and opened the door. There was usually nobody up yet in the Glass House besides her; she wondered who it could be.

To her great surprise, it was Myrnin. He hadn't changed clothes, still sporting the striped pajama pants without a shirt under the dark trench coat. And the floppy ears of his fanged bunny slippers protruded from underneath the hems of his pants. "Amelie wishes to speak with you," he announced. He was uncharacteristically calm. The manic shine was currently absent from those dark eyes, half hidden behind a barrage of dark curls and a pair of glasses. In a gesture of chivalry, he offered her his arm which she took. She'd grown used to his old fashioned habits. For a moment, she considered asking Myrnin about Oliver and Athena's past but thought better of it. If Oliver found out she'd been prying she might as well have signed a death wish.

Myrnin guided her down the hall to the secret room. He flipped the switch to open the door and herded her up the stairs. She loved Myrnin but she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about going into a soundproof room with vampires. Amelie was perched gracefully on one of the couches. Claire wondered if she'd spent the whole night up here.

Amelie motioned for her to take a seat. Myrnin walked to stand behind the couch Amelie occupied, but he seemed more concerned with the patterns thrown around the room by the Victorian-style lamps than with what was going on. "You witnessed the scene between Oliver and Athena last night, did you not?" Amelie asked, getting right to the point.

Dread spreading through her, Claire nodded.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Claire blinked, thinking she'd heard wrong. "I'm sorry?"

"You are not deaf, Claire Danvers. Recite to me everything you heard and saw last night. Exclude nothing."

Uncomfortably, Claire asked, "Well, if you wanted to know, why didn't you just eavesdrop yourself?"

For an instant, it almost seemed like Amelie had lost her cool, ice-queen persona, but it reappeared so quickly that Claire couldn't be sure of what she saw. "Athena has a certain…power over the rest of us. She would have known had I tried to spy on her."

Carefully, Claire replied, "Look, I'm going to be late for class if I don't leave soon."

"There will be no need to attend your classes today. Another pack of Darklings will be arriving in Morganville soon. We will need everybody present when they do."

Swallowing her nerves, Claire repeated everything she'd been witness to the night before. She felt uncomfortable telling Amelie about Oliver and Athena's love life, but whenever she hesitated, Amelie would prompt her firmly to continue. When Claire finished, Amelie sat quietly, staring off into space. "Um, why do you want to know about all this?" That caught Amelie's attention. She seemed to consider whether to confide in Claire or not. In the end, she said,

"I have seen the repercussions of Athena's relationship with Oliver, and I do not wish to again. I simply want to keep track of them so that I may fairly judge their actions."

Geez, talk about vague, Claire commented silently to herself. There was an awkward quiet while Claire fiddled nervously with her thumbs. Amelie appeared lost in her thoughts. "So…can I go now?"

Amelie's cold, gray eyes snapped to Claire's face. "You may. However, do not leave the house. Humans may be in less danger from the Darklings than vampires, but it is safer for all of us if you remain within the house."

"Prisoner in my own home," Claire wanted to say, but she thought better of it. Instead, she stood quietly and started for the stairs. The soft click of the secret door reached her ears as her foot touched the first step. As soon as she reached the bottom, a deep voice, husky with sleep, mumbled, "Why were you up there?"

Claire started, looking up to see Shane's rumpled figure standing a short distance down the hall. At his side crouched Thomas, sniffing intently at the ground. "Uh, you're up early."

"Bathroom. Now stop changing the subject."

"I-Amelie wanted to see me."

"What for?"

"She just wanted to tell me that I shouldn't go to classes today." Claire really hoped he'd believe her; she didn't want to have to explain about what she'd seen last night again. If he didn't believe her, he decided not to say anything about it.

"So you've got the whole day free?" There was a secret in his voice, and Claire knew just what he meant. She smiled slowly.

"Yeah. But you might do well to remember our visitors."

"Well, I guess it's just as well. Thomas probably wouldn't leave my side long enough for that anyway."

A little disappointed, Claire said, "Oh." She started to pass him, but Shane slithered an arm around her shoulder and pressed his lips close to her ear.

"He can still understand us so I'm trying to drop the hint to him."

A low growl emanated from Thomas's throat. It almost sounded like, "Could've just asked." Claire laughed and reached to run her fingers through Thomas's fur. He stretched and gave her hand a quick lick before slinking off into Shane's room. Claire felt sort of bad for stealing Shane away from his buddy, but Shane was right. They need some alone time.

Guiding her back to her bedroom, Shane rubbed his fingertips gingerly up and down her arm. When he closed the door behind them, he quickly grabbed her in a hot embrace. His breath was already ragged and his hands feverish as they ran the length of her spine.

His lips pressed against hers like they were magnet and metal. Gasping in surprise at his sudden fierceness, Claire pulled away. "Hold on. Let me adjust, you can't just—" But apparently he could. Folding his arms around her waist, he yanked her body closer so that they touched along every possible edge. Once again, his mouth covered her own, and this time she got lost in the heat. He just kissed so _well_.

Somehow, they'd reached the bed and Shane was shirtless. Claire smoothed her hands up the tensed muscles of his arms, along his collarbone, and down across his chest. Then she moved her palms down his stomach which fluttered like a bird as he fought to control his breathing. Finally, her fingers touched the waistband of his sweatpants.

Claire had no idea how far they really would've gotten, but she never got the chance to find out because the door of her room banged open.

With a yelp of surprise, Claire separated herself from Shane to stare at the dark figure standing in the doorway. Oliver stood, a scowl clear on his face, at the entrance to Claire's room.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Shane spat, turning to shoot daggers at Oliver with his eyes.

"Upstairs. Both of you." Was all Oliver growled in reply. Then, he disappeared, presumably upstairs.

"What do they want _now_?" Shane grumbled as he dragged his shirt back over his head. Claire also felt a little put out. She'd just come from up there. Why couldn't they have said what they needed to say then? Sliding off the bed, she straightened her clothes.

When she looked up, another person was in the doorway. Michael's sleep-mussed, fair hair almost glowed in the dark. He'd obviously just woken up. His pajamas were crumpled and his face held that look people have when they haven't fully woken up yet. "Do you guys know what this is about?" he asked.

Claire and Shane shook their heads as they joined him in the hallway. Suddenly, a pale shadow appeared down the hallway. Eve looked like a ghost in black pajamas. Her eyes were blank and her body slacked with exhaustion. Michael seemed to awaken at the sight of her. He stepped over to her and brushed her hair behind her ear, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Good morning," he greeted her

"No. It is not," she mumbled. Eve was _really_ not a morning person. Chuckling slightly, Michael wrapped his arm around her neck and tugged her toward the hidden staircase. Shane took Claire's hand and they followed.

When they reached the room that the vampires seemed to have become very fond of, Claire, Michael, Shane, and Eve stood off to the side. Claire felt a little jolt of deja vu as she noticed that Amelie, Oliver, Myrnin, and Athena were in exactly the same places they'd been last night. Amelie and Athena sat perched on opposite couches, Myrnin splayed beside Amelie, and Oliver lurked silently in the corner.

"What's this about?" Michael inquired, asking the question they all wanted the answer to.

"It seems we have a problem," Amelie said calmly. Claire hated the way vampires never seemed to convey how deeply troubling things really were until they actually told you the problem.

"What is it?" Shane asked.

For a moment, no one answered. Then finally, Athena sighed, "The Darklings have arrived in Morganville."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi, everybody! Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the delay in the update; I've been unusually busy. So I made this chappy quite a bit longer than the rest. Enjoy! ;)**

**Chapter 11**

Claire's heart sank at Athena's words. Shane's fingers dug into her hand almost hard enough to hurt. She ignored this and asked, "Is it the main pack?"

"No. It's still a ways off. However, this one is still a rather large group," Athena explained.

"Where are they? Are they heading here?" Claire asked. Her hand was beginning to go numb, and she wiggled it slightly to signal her discomfort to Shane. Immediately, he loosened his grip.

Athena paused, looking somewhere far away. Then her black eyes focused on the here and now. "It seems they're hiding in the less densely populated areas of the town right now. They're probably waiting for sunrise to attack."

"Is there something we can do to increase defense?" queried Michael. His blue eyes shone fiercely in the light of the Victorian lamps.

"We've already placed all the defenses on the house that we can," Oliver growled from the corner. "But there's no way we can fight them at full strength while the sun is up." Before anyone could respond, a series of tapping noises sounded from the stairs. Everyone turned their eyes on the hunched figure of Thomas. A sound of annoyance came from Oliver. "What's that mutt doing in here?"

Thomas bared his fangs at Oliver before padding to plant his haunches beside Shane. "He's got a name. And why shouldn't he be in here?" Shane snapped as he reached his hand to pat Thomas's head. Oliver just narrowed his eyes.

"Oliver, calm down. He is our ally," Athena sighed. She didn't look at him as she spoke, but Oliver's dark eyes blinked and stared at her. A long silence followed Athena's words. It seemed everyone noticed the electricity between the two.

Amelie's cool voice finally broke the silence. "Perhaps, since he is our ally, he could aid us."

"How?" Shane asked. Claire observed that Shane's fingers remained buried in the Darkling's fur, almost in a protective gesture.

"We could send him into the Darklings' lair. He may be able to sway them. He might at least be able to slow them, keep them there until dark."

Shane's face looked appalled. "You're suggesting that we send him into a virtual nest of creatures that may or may not welcome him. For all we know, they could have separated into packs because of conflict. They might kill him if he's not part of their pack!"

"Think of it as a way to repay us for not killing him." Amelie's voice seemed more distant and emotionless than normal. Shane made an indignant sort of noise in his throat.

"Yeah, I don't think so." But Thomas grunted, his silver eyes turned to gaze up at Shane. "You're no seriously considering this?" Thomas nodded his head, yes. Shane scowled and squatted down so he was at eye level with the Darkling. "I am not letting you go out there and endanger yourself for us." Thomas's top lip rose, exposing the whole length of his enormous fangs, and a soft rumble grew in his chest as if to say,

"You can't tell me what to do."

"I do believe it is the creature's decision, my boy," Myrnin noted. He was watching the pair intently with gleaming, dark eyes.

Glaring at Myrnin, Shane opened his mouth to retort, but Thomas shouldered him so hard he lost his balance and fell on his butt. Claire laughed lightly until she saw the look on Shane's face. He was worried, so desperately worried about this creature who had practically forced himself on Shane. A tiny, green monster of jealousy bit at Claire's heart, but she swatted at it. There was no reason to feel envious. Shane often worried about her, sometimes too much. Feeling slightly guilty, she placed a hand on Shane's shoulder as he entered a long staring contest with Thomas.

Eventually, Shane ripped his eyes from Thomas's and pushed himself to his feet, refusing Claire's assistance. He crossed his arms, emanating an atmosphere of wanting to be left alone. So Claire resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and comfort him.

"So, Thomas, will you agree?" Athena asked politely. If she hadn't been there, Claire would never have known that only yesterday, Athena was threatening to kill Thomas. For some reason, this frightened Claire. It seemed that Athena could switch opinions like clothes. Perhaps that meant she could change other more important things just as easily…

The grunt of consent from Thomas woke Claire from her thoughts. She noticed Shane tense beside her.

"Excellent! He should leave immediately. The sun will be rising soon," Myrnin said, clapping his hands.

They all—with the exception of Shane who seemed to be brooding angrily—offered their farewells and thanks to Thomas. Claire, Eve, and Athena petted the fur around his neck affectionately. All too soon, his deformed figure was heading for the stairs. When Claire looked at him, Shane seemed to be having some sort of internal war. Finally, he jogged to the stairs. The door shut softly as the two friends left together to say good-bye.

"Fascinating. Never have I seen such a strong bond between man and Darkling." Myrnin was gazing after the two, playing absently with his hair.

"It probably has something to do with Thomas's not being a full Darkling. He must have been one of the original experiments, but they never got the chance to complete his transformation," Athena said to nobody in particular.

No one knew what to say or do so finally Claire decided to go see if Shane was okay. She first checked his room then climbed down the stairs to look for him in the living room. When she couldn't find him in the kitchen either, a little pin of anxiety pricked at her stomach. She was climbing the stairs again when Michael and Eve appeared at the landing. "Shane isn't up here, is he?" she asked.

Michael shouted over his shoulder, "Shane, you up here?" There was no answer. "Maybe he's outside. He could've wanted to see Thomas off."

Claire ran back down the stairs, but she knew he wouldn't be out there. She knew exactly where he was. Eve and Michael accompanied her onto the porch. The horizon was beginning to pale so Michael had to step back inside, but Athena appeared in the doorway. "He's gone with the Darkling," she said.

Panic strangled Claire. She had to breathe deeply to calm herself. "We have to go after him!" she finally managed to choke.

Athena stood calmly, her arms crossed over her chest. Her black eyes met Claire's for a moment. "I see no reason to. He's fairly safe, being a human."

"That's not the point! We have to make _sure_ he's safe!" Claire cried.

"Claire's got a point. Shane never was one to act…safely," Eve chimed in. Athena blinked, mulling it over.

"Fine. But you're going alone. We cannot help you in this. Our presence would only place you in danger from the Darklings." Athena held out a piece of paper. "This is a map of the town. I sense the Darklings are in this building." She pointed to a square circled in red. "That's where Thomas and Shane are probably headed.

Claire nodded and Eve sprinted inside to get her keys. When she returned, she and Claire rushed to Eve's giant, black Cadillac. In the pale light of dawn, Athena waved good-bye to them.

(SPACE)

The building loomed up over them, a tall, dark shadow. Claire thought she caught a glimpse of something eerily shiny in one of the glassless windows. Eve cut the engine off, and the two girls sat for a moment and stared at the empty-looking building. "Are you sure this is the one?"

Claire looked once more at the map Athena had given her. It was laid out flat in her lap. "I'm sure. It clearly marks this place as where the Darklings are."

Taking a deep breath, Eve said, "Alright, let's go." Scrambling out of the car, Claire searched the premises for signs of Shane or Thomas. When Eve called her, Claire hurried to catch up. She felt a little silly strolling up the concrete walkway to the front door, but she supposed Eve was all about being direct. Claire half expected her to knock on the tall, metal door.

But before the girls could even reach the entrance, a shrill sound pierced the air. Claire's ears sang with high pitched sound, and she slapped her hands to cover them. Thankfully it didn't last long. When the shriek dissipated, Claire and Eve burst into action. Eve grabbed the door handle, wrenched it open, and threw herself through, Claire hot in pursuit. Inside it was dusty and dim. The room they'd stepped into was empty, but a huge commotion was coming from deeper inside the building.

Most of the noise sounded like Darklings: deep snarls, angry growls, and inhuman howls. But as they approached, Claire was sure she heard Shane's voice somewhere in that whirlwind of sound. Putting on a burst of speed, Claire easily overtook Eve and blasted through to the next room.

The scene before her stole her breath right out of her chest.

Dozens of deformed figures surrounded a small bunch huddled against the far wall. Included in that little bunch where Thomas and Shane. Smudges of blood ran along the side of Shane's face as if he'd repeatedly wiped it away. He brandished a pipe at the surrounding Darklings, and Thomas crouched at his side, snarling ferociously. Behind them Claire saw several smaller shadows. One looked like a female Darkling. She stood protectively over two…children.

They were Darkling cubs.

Little, pointy dog ears poked out from the tops of the mother's and cubs' heads, and their silver eyes stared, frightened, at the Darklings around them.

The Darklings split into two groups, creating a walkway to allow an enormous beast to amble up to face Thomas and Shane. His thick, gray fur rolled as his huge muscles stretched and contracted. A long tail swept the floor behind him. The Darkling came to a halt a few feet from the little group. Thomas's face looked vicious and brave, but his tail was tucked between his legs.

The grey-furred Darkling barely gave Shane a glance before zeroing in on Thomas. To Claire's amazement, the gigantic beast spoke then in a near-human voice. "You are a disgrace to us. We cast you out with the rest of those fools. Now why have you come back?" '…the rest of those fools'? Was he referring to the group of Darklings Thomas had been with before? Claire wondered.

She didn't have time to speculate, however, because Thomas let out a strange, sound somewhere between a cry and a growl. He was frustrated, pained. When he regained control of himself, Thomas looked the larger Darkling in the eyes and grumbled something that sounded like, "I came for my friends."

A rough, husky sound erupted from the bigger creature. "Your friends? You call those beasts without hearts your friends? You're a bigger fool than I thought, son." Did he just say _son_!

"He's your father, Thomas?" Shane gasped incredulously. The great grey Darkling swung his head to bare his fangs at Shane.

"You ought not to speak unless prompted to do so, human. We don't usually harm your kind, but when you side with the Heartless, we have no choice." The thick muscles of the grey Darkling's back bunched, poised to attack. But Thomas flung himself between Shane and his father.

"Won't let you," Thomas snapped before lunging at his father. They were like copper and steel, meshed together in a ball of fur and fangs. A screech broke from the female Darkling behind Shane. The crowd of Darklings was oddly silent, however. And, for some reason, it scared Claire that none of them was moving to aid the grey one. She soon saw why. He didn't need help. Thomas was quickly pinned beneath his father's bulk, though his continued to thrash violently.

"I should have done this long ago, my son. It would have been less painful for the both of us," sighed the great, wolf-like beast. He reared back, his enormous fangs glistening in the streams of sunlight from the windows. Claire was just about to look away, unable to watch something so horrific, when something smacked into the back of Thomas's father's head. It was Shane's pipe. An ice cold hand gripped Claire's heart. He'd put all his strength into that blow, but Thomas's father seemed completely unaffected. If anything, he just looked pissed.

"Humans really should learn their _place_!" Thomas's father yelled the last word as he launched himself at Shane. Claire didn't even have time to scream. Those huge claws were reaching for Shane's throat, ready to rip into his flesh.

Then, Thomas's father seemed to disappear. But no, he'd been slammed into the concrete wall by a very small, pixie-like person. Athena's eyes gleamed black and malicious as she smirked at the grey Darkling. "It has been a long time, Julius," Athena greeted the Darkling. She spoke so nonchalantly.

Julius at first looked very surprised then a raspy laugh ground from his throat. "So it has, Athena. I assumed you'd died, seeing as we were freed from the isle."

Athena appeared unfazed. "It's so like you to assume such silly ideas."

That made Julius scowl, and as he scowled, the pupils of his silver eyes disappeared along with their whites. Just like Athena's had turned totally black, Julius's were consumed with silver. A loud cry exploded from him—some sort of message, apparently, to his followers. The entire group of Darkling's flew into action. All of them attacked Athena, and Claire felt bad to say she felt a little relieved. Thomas and Shane were able to gather the female and cubs they'd been protecting and escape without notice. Claire knew Athena could take care of herself so she'd far rather Athena be the one in there and not Shane and Thomas.

By the looks of it, she seemed to be holding up her own, anyway. She was downing Darklings like they were nothing more than flies.

Shane's group slipped into the room where Claire and Eve hid through a door farther down the wall. Claire tore her eyes from the battle to sprint to Shane. He caught sight of her and did a double-take. His mouth dropped open and he stopped mid-run.

But as soon as she was close enough, Claire snatched his arm and yanked him toward the door. Ahead of them, the Darkling cubs had latched on to Thomas's and the female's backs. Thomas led the way to the car—he was really getting used to being their companion it seemed—and waited for them to catch up. Eve unlocked the car quickly and—to Claire's surprise—Thomas's hooked his hand through the door handle and opened it. He let the female climb in first with the cubs, though she looked a little hesitant. Then, he looked at Claire expectantly. Shane had already slid into the front passenger seat so Claire supposed she'd have to sit with their new friends. When she was mushed between the two Darkling's, Claire had a thought.

"What about Athena?" she asked. Eve started the car.

"She's the big cheese of vamps, Claire. I think she'll be fine," Eve said. The car screeched away from the curb. Claire couldn't say why, but she felt a twinge of worry for Athena as she glanced back at the building.

The car turned a corner and the building disappeared. Shane let out a huge sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "So why are you guys here, exactly?"

"We could be asking you the same question," Claire scolded. "What were you thinking, running off to face the Darklings without help!"

"I couldn't just leave Thomas to do this by himself!"

"You could have at least told us you were going."

"And let you stop me?"

"Who says we would've stopped you?" Eve retaliated. "Don't you know us well enough to trust us to help you?"

Shane opened his mouth to reply, but a high pitched squeal came from one of the Darkling cubs hugged against the female's body.

Claire glanced at the trio. "Shane, why did you bring these three?"

"When we got inside, Thomas ran right to them. It looked like they were being treated pretty badly. They're gone now, but all three of them had slashes all over their bodies," explained Shane.

"Even the babies?" Eve gasped; a horrfied expression on her face. Thomas emitted a deep growl in his chest.

"Yeah." Shane's tone implied he didn't really want to talk about it.

The car jumped slightly, jostling Claire uncomfortably as Eve pulled into the driveway of the Glass House. Shane hopped out before the engine was even off then he opened Thomas's door. The red-furred Darkling swept from the car, and Claire followed him.

When she looked back, Thomas was helping the female Darkling lower the cubs from the car. Now that they were in the sunlight, Claire could see that the new Darklings looked very similar to Thomas except for their dog ears and the color of their fur. The adult female's fur was an oily black; mixed with the strange silver sheen, she was a remarkably beautiful being. She had the curves of a well-developed woman and the face of a Greek goddess.

The larger of the two children had the same shade of fur as her but was a male. The smaller one was a girl with a long sweeping tail and fur the color of a bright, polished penny, very similar to Thomas's. She also had shorter fangs and claws than the rest of them, however, her claws looked a whole lot sharper, too. Both the cubs were about the size of a seven year old human child.

As soon as she was on the ground, the girl cub crawled under Thomas. He licked her ear before lifting his head to touch his nose to the woman's.

"Huh, they must be his family," Shane commented.

"Looks that way," said a quiet voice. Claire whirled around to find Athena leaning against the bumper of Eve's car. "So what took you so long, slowpokes?"


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Alright! A big thanks to** **DaniellaR-UK for reviewing. I would give you a cookie if I could. ;) Sorry that this chappy's really short, but I had to stop it there or it would've been ridiculously long. Anyway, enjoy! :) **

**Chapter 12**

Claire leaned into Shane's warmth. They were seated on the couch downstairs, Shane's arm around her shoulders. Michael and the other vampires—except Athena—had disappeared while the sun blazed. So Claire, Eve, Shane, and Athena rested in the living room with the Darklings. Thomas playfully wrestled with his son while the mother groomed her daughter. Claire had to admit that though it was sort of odd to see human-like shapes doing these things—especially since they were nearly naked human shapes—it was still unbelievably adorable.

Eve laughed as she watched them from where she stood next to Athena. "Why don't we each name one?" she suggested.

"What?" Claire asked, a little bewildered.

"The Darklings. There are three new ones, and there are three of us. I mean, we need something to call them by."

"Well, are we sure we're keeping them? Maybe they don't want to stay. Thomas might want to leave now that he's been reunited with his family." Before Eve could reply, an indignant bark came from Thomas as he looked up from pinning his son on the ground.

"I think that's a no," chuckled Shane. He was watching the family of Darklings with fond eyes. Eve clapped her hands joyously and shook her hips in a happy little dance.

"Then we can name them! Oh, but how do we decide who names who?"

Claire gazed at the nameless Darklings for a moment. "I think…her name should be Penny," she announced, pointing to the female cub. Penny blinked her silver eyes at Claire before offering a fanged smile. Smiling kindly back, Claire noticed that though Penny's claws and fangs were considerably shorter than the other members of her family, they were quite a bit sharper.

"Okay, that's one decided," Eve said. While Claire had been watching Penny, Thomas had released his son. The cub—that was nearly as large as his father—ambled over to Eve, sniffed her legs and planted his haunches directly in front of her. His silver eyes stared up at her, his black tail swinging back and forth. A grin spread over Eve's expression. She reached out her hand and buried it in the cub's dark fur. "You can be Tank. Do you like that name?"

The freshly christened Tank swished his tail over the floor and licked Eve's hand. "That leaves you," Athena said quietly, as if she were talking to herself. She'd come to stand in front of the mother Darkling. "One with beauty such as yours should have a fitting name." The two stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Athena pronounced, "Meresna." Calmly, the Darkling mother dipped her head to Athena.

Something flashed in Athena's eyes as she gazed down at the mother cuddling her young. Penny and Tank had moved to lie close to their mother while Thomas looked on fondly, and Athena watched the family…longingly?

But then Athena blinked and looked away to smile at Claire, whatever that emotion had been was gone now. "I believe I shall inform the others on what happened," she stated. Without another word, she brushed past Eve and up the stairs.

(SPACE)

Though she sensed that most of her fellow vampires were in the attic, Athena's feet carried her to the secret room where the one person she wished most to see—yet, in a way, hoped never to see again—resided.

Oliver was pacing the room when Athena reached the top of the stairs. But when he spotted her, he froze. "You're back," he breathed. There was relief in his voice and his eyes, however much he tried to hide it.

"I'm back." She didn't know why she said it, but she felt she needed to fully clarify it. His relief at her return quickly disappeared behind an icy wall, making Athena's heart ache painfully like it had physically collided with that wall of ice.

"Myrnin and Amelie are in the attic searching through the ancient items up there, Madam, if you want to see them," he said stonily. He ceased his pacing and stood straight and calm with his hands clasped behind his back. Athena saw he'd changed into a long-sleeved black V-neck and black pants. Somehow, in the dazzling colors of the Victorian lamps, he looked older. As if, though his body was frozen in time, it had become worn over the years. She didn't remember him looking so tired.

"I don't want to see them, Oliver," was all she said.

Those eyes of his, dark as coal, blinked. "Why are you calling me that?"

Taken aback, Athena hesitated with her reply. She was finally able to stammer, "I-You wanted to be called that."

Oliver stared at her for so long she began to wonder if he'd heard her. But then he grumbled, "I changed my mind." Athena's eyes widened then a grin spread over her lips.

"Ollie—" Suddenly, a single finger rested over Athena's lips, stopping her mid-sentence. Oliver's coal-colored eyes gazed into hers. Just then, it was like his eyes really were coal and they had been lit on fire. Passion blazed ferociously in his eyes, devouring everything else—all the emotions trying to push their way to the top.

"I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have said those things. It's just…I didn't realize how angry I was with you until I saw you. This whole time all I've been feeling toward you is longing. Then you suddenly appeared and my old resentments just bubbled up."

"I understand, Ollie. No need to apologize. You were right, after all."

"No, I wasn't—" Oliver never got a chance to finish because Athena's lips pressed against his. Her arms twined around his neck and he growled deep in his chest. She felt it resonate against her chest and kissed him harder.

Hooking his hand around the backs of her legs, he lifted her so she could wrap them around his waist. Then, he ran his hands up her spine to tangle his fingers in the feathers of her hair.

The interlocked couple collapsed to the floor, never breaking apart. Twisted together as one, Oliver and Athena lost themselves to the heat and passion of love.

(SPACE)

Circling the rim of his bottle with the tip of his finger, Michael let his mind blank itself. From where he sat at the kitchen table, he heard the little snuffles from the Darklings asleep in the living room. He knew Shane, Eve, and Claire were all asleep in their rooms. When Michael had awoken, he'd run into Shane on his way to bed. He'd explained what had happened with the Darklings.

Though he'd expected Shane, Claire, and Eve to be asleep when he woke up, Michael was surprised to find that Athena, Oliver, Amelie, and Myrnin had all disappeared. He had thought that once the sun had set, the vampires would have come out of the secret room. But it seemed they wished to remain secluded. Michael didn't mind much. It gave him a chance to think in peace.

He was rinsing out his empty bottle when he felt that presence. The presence that meant _she_ was there.

Turning slowly around, Michael's eyes came to rest on Athena's slight figure. She stood with one arm behind her back, her eyes cast to the floor. "Michael," Athena began.

When she didn't continue, Michael prompted, "Yes?"

Taking a deep breath Athena tried again. "Michael…I need a favor."

Suspicion pricked the back of Michael's mind, but he pushed it away. "What is it?"

"I need you—I need you to tell me if…you hear something."

A frown creased Michael's brow. "What am I supposed to be listening for?"

"Just listen very closely."

Michael stared at her, but did as she asked. Concentrating on the slightest sounds: the tapping of tiny mice feet, the flutters of breath throughout the house, the heartbeats of his friends, Athena's heartbeat and her nervous, unnecessary breath… Wait.

His eyes the size of saucers, Michael gaped at Athena. "No. No way."


	13. Chapter 13

**I am SO sorry it took so long! D: My laptop wouldn't let me on the Internet so I was virtually cut off for like weeks. It was kind of a bad place to cut off, too…haha! Sorry it's a little short, but I'll try and make the next one longer…and come faster, too haha! Anyway, I really hope you like it. Please review! :)**

**Chapter 13**

Hanging her head, Athena sighed, "I was afraid of that. I'd kind of hoped it was just me hearing things."

"Y-You're—I don't—_What_!" Michael spluttered. He was gripping the table to keep himself in his chair.

"I know. It amazes me, too. I knew I was able to become pregnant, but I thought I'd have to mate with a human. Maybe Ollie's special or…" Athena trailed off as she sank into the seat across from Michael. His mouth was a gaping hole of astonishment as he stared at the tiny girl.

"How-How can you be pregnant? That shouldn't be possible! And _Oliver_!"

Blinking her black eyes, Athena replied, "Yes, Ollie is the father. I'm not quite sure how it's possible. And you are correct. It shouldn't be possible for me to become impregnated by a fellow vampire, but here we are."

Swallowing with some difficulty, Michael asked, "Does he know?"

"No. I wasn't sure until you heard it so I didn't think I'd alarm him with it."

"But…it shouldn't be this far along. Should it? I mean, now that I know, I can kind of see a little bump already."

"Really?" Athena looked down at her abdomen where, sure enough, a small, hard bump had risen. Eyes wide, Athena looked back at Michael. "It would seem that the growth rate has accelerated to faster than that of a mortal."

"Well, how do we know when you're…due if the baby is growing faster than normal?"

Leaning back casually in her chair, Athena plucked an orange from the bowl in the middle of the table before answering. Michael noticed a long, pale scar running the side of her hand he was sure hadn't been there before, but he dismissed it. "I suppose we judge by how far along it has gotten since copulation." Sinking her fingernail into the orange rind, Athena watched thoughtfully as the thin layer of skin wrapping the orange slices broke. The pale juice tricked down into her palm while the aroma of citrus suddenly seemed intoxicating. She felt that familiar tightness in her stomach, but her fangs didn't slide down like they usually would when she was hungry. "Interesting…"

Sighing heavily, Michael asked, "What?"

"It appears I am hungering for human food."

A frown creased Michael's brow. "Can you eat mortal food?" Athena shrugged, not taking her gaze off the fruit in her hand. "Then could it be the baby wants it?"

"An intriguing thought. Perhaps we should try…" Her voice tapered off as she quickly stripped the orange of its protective coat and separated a single slice from the bunch. Popping it into her mouth, Athena tilted her head to the side in thought. "It is quite…delicious. I can't remember the last time I ate mortal food." She ate another slice and another before Michael stood up. Rinsing his bottle, he wondered aloud,

"It's strange you'd ask me to confirm your suspicions about the baby instead of Oliver or Myrnin or even Amelie."

Placing the orange on the table, Athena bit her bottom lip. "Michael, I apologize for putting you in this situation, but I—didn't feel I could trust them. I mean, I _can_ trust them, especially Ollie, but you just feel safe."

"It's alright," Michael told her, waving her apology away. "I may not understand, but there's no need to be sorry. So when do you think you're going to have it?"

"Probably sometime within the next forty-eight hours."

The bottle slid from Michael grasp to clatter to the bottom of the sink. "W-What!" Turning to gape at her, Michael braced himself against the counter.

"Well, the baby has grown quite a bit in just several hours."

"Hours! You mean, you just—" Michael choked off feeling slightly sick. Athena appeared unfazed, however. Picking at her nails, she pondered over something.

"We should decide on names soon. I'll have to tell Ollie in a moment. Hmm…I like Megara. Always loved the Hercules tale. I remember when they wrote it. Apollodorus was so excited about his epic poem," Athena rambled. A smile curled her lips as she chuckled at her memories. "Oh, but I don't want my child to have Megara's bad luck in men, hmm. Leslie? Michael, what do you think is a good name?"

Michael stared at her for a moment, totally still. "Go talk to Oliver," was all he said before turning and padding out of the kitchen.

Athena sighed. "I suppose he's right," she mumbled to herself. Scraping her chair backward, Athena rose to her feet. Suddenly, it seemed slightly more difficult to get up. She felt off-balance—something that never happened. Glancing down at her stomach, Athena chuckled, "Looks like I'm going to have to get used to you."

Making her way to the stairs, Athena passed the family of Darklings asleep in the living room. Penny and Thomas were snuggled together at the foot of the couch while Tank occupied the sofa. Looking around, Athena finally spotted Meresna. The beautiful beast sat tall, staring straight at Athena.

Athena, rarely fazed by anything, felt disturbed by that look. She knew. Meresna knew. But that wasn't what flustered Athena. What made her nervous was the pity that shown in the Darkling's silver eyes.

Hurriedly, Athena swept up the stairs. Distressed and anticipating the sensation of Oliver's strong arms around her, Athena rushed up to the secret room at vampire speed. Before she reached the landing Athena started to call out her lover's name, but when she did set foot in the room, she cut off.

Oliver was no longer alone. Myrnin and Amelie had joined him once more. Clearing her throat, Athena said, "Ollie, I need to speak with. In private, please."

"I'd rather you didn't, Athena." Amelie's cool voice sliced the air like steel. Her gray eyes fixed Athena with an equally cold stare.

Athena felt astonished, but she'd learned long ago not to show such emotions even to her comrades. "Pardon me. I said—"

"I am well aware of your request, Athena. I will not allow it to be fulfilled, however. Not at the moment, that is. First, I must have a word with you and Oliver."

"Amelie. I respect you enough not to interrupt you when you are speaking. I would appreciate it very much if you would do the same." Athena knew her voice was soft and dangerous, laced with hidden threat. "Now then, I will speak with you after I've talked with Ollie. The information I have to share with him is extremely important."

Myrnin had been silent the whole time Athena had been in the room, but now he crossed his arms and said, "If it's so important, why can't you share it with all of us?"

Athena met Oliver's gaze, but it didn't tell her anything. He was as blank as a snowy landscape. "Fine. If you're all so desperate to know, I'll tell you." She paused, never taking her gaze from Oliver's. "I am with child."

There was a long silence before Oliver choked, "What?" His face was wiped clean with shock and his eyes stood out from his pale skin like a pebbles of onyx on marble.

"It's not that surprising. The way you two were—"

"Myrnin. That is enough," Amelie ordered. She was staring at Athena, but she didn't show any sign of surprise or any other emotion for that matter. Amelie had learned that from Athena. Back when Amelie was young, they were quite close even though Athena was actually much older. "Athena, I don't quite understand. You and Oliver are vampires. How can you bear children?"

"I'm not sure, but it's true. Now you can see why I would have rather told Ollie this in private. If you don't mind, I'd like a moment with him," Athena said. Her voice was calm and collected despite the raging war of emotions going on inside her.

For a moment, it looked as if Amelie wasn't going to leave the two alone, but finally she said, "Alright. We will leave. But I must still speak with you both."

Inclining her head slightly to Amelie, Athena watched as Myrnin trailed after her. Before he stepped down the stairs, Myrnin turned his dark gaze on Athena. "I always told you, you were special."

A little smile curled Athena's lips. "Yes, Myrnin, you did. And I will reply as I always have. No more special than any other." Myrnin's expression softened with affection as he grinned back and shook his head as he shuffled down the stairs.

When she heard the confirming click of the door, Athena raised her eyes to Oliver's. He hadn't moved—or possibly even blinked. "Ollie?" Still no response. Taking a hesitant step forward, Athena extended a hand to touch his shoulder, but before she could, he rasped,

"I can hear it." Blinking, Athena realized he was talking about the baby's heartbeat. Lowering her hand, Athena placed it gently over the hard bump in her abdomen.

"I know," she whispered. Oliver lifted an uncertain hand as if he wanted to touch her stomach as well. When he stopped halfway, Athena gently took his hand in hers and guided it to her stomach. Gazing into his dark eyes, Athena watched as amazement, wonderment, and vulnerability passed over his features. "It's ours, Ollie. Our child."

When she spoke, it seemed to break Oliver out of his dazed state. He looked at her and brought a careful hand up to cup her cheek his hand. Oh, how she loved that touch. It was soft and kind but fierce and protective at the same time. The look in his eyes was just the same. It surprised her a bit that not even a shred of fear or uncertainty came from him in any way.

"I love you," he said. Those words didn't sound like a declaration when he spoke them. To Athena, they sounded like a fact of life. As if there was no other way for the world to be. He loved her and that was that.

"I love you, too," Athena reciprocated, and she meant every word.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and yes I realize that the plot of this (the baby and stuff) is sort of similar to Stephanie Meyer's **_**Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn**_** but… I don't know; maybe it did influence the story lol! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Review, please! ;)**

**Chapter 14**

"Dmitri is a perfectly suitable name!" Oliver protested as Amelie and Myrnin reentered the hidden room. After celebrating their child, Oliver and Athena had launched into a debate over names.

"But it's just so…boring," countered Athena. She was gazing thoughtfully at the sloping ceiling while she rested on the couch. Oliver sat beside her but looked far less relaxed. He was bent forward with his elbows digging into his thighs while his hands covered his face.

"So you feel Constantine is exciting, then?" Oliver growled through his fingers.

"Pope Constantine was an inspiring figure in his day!"

"Yeah guess you'd know, wouldn't you?" Oliver muttered.

Athena's black eyes narrowed as she lifted her head to look at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Before things could get any more heated, Amelie cleared her throat loudly. Oliver straightened up quickly; he evidently hadn't known they'd come back. However, Athena crossed her arms like a stubborn child and gazed calmly—yet coldly—at Myrnin and Amelie. A short silence ensued before Myrnin blurted to fill the silence, "I suspect you won't mind that I informed the rest of household of your situation."

Oliver shot him his signature death glare. "No. Of course we don't mind you blabbing our personal business to a bunch of humans."

Myrnin hopped up and down a couple of times, clapping his hands together in sarcastic excitement. "Excellent! Then you won't mind…" He twisted around to face the stairs, positioned his fingers, and then let out a loud, high wolf whistle. Several sets of clomping footsteps sounded at the door. Loudest of all were Eve's heavy platform shoes at the head of the group. She had tears in her eyes and a gleeful smile plastered to her face. Michael, Claire, Shane, and Thomas crowded in behind her. Myrnin twirled fancily back around to face Athena and Oliver. "Ta-da!"

If looks could kill, Myrnin would have been incinerated. Oliver's eyes burned with fury like coals from hell. Seeing his expression, Athena smiled fondly and pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes warm, Athena started to take a step toward the group who'd just entered. "Come now, Ollie, they just want to celebrate with—" She broke off, her eyes widening, as her knees buckled and she crashed to the ground—though she didn't really reach the floor. Oliver caught her and swung her into his arms before her knees even touched the wood.

"Athena?" Oliver choked, his dark eyes full of fear. Athena's eyelids fluttered rapidly.

"I-I feel a little weak," she stuttered. Admittedly, she did look slightly gaunt. Her cheekbones protruded a bit more harshly than they should and though her belly had swollen quite a bit, the rest of her body seemed to be gradually deflating.

"It's the baby. The rapid growth rate has drained her of nutrients," Myrnin surmised.

"Then she needs blood," concluded Oliver. He started for the stairs, Athena drooped like a wilted flower in his arms. Once he was past the group blocking the exit, Oliver sped out and downstairs to the kitchen not bothering to disguise his vampire abilities. Amelie was the first to follow after him, but she kept her pace at a normal, human gait.

When they reached the kitchen, Oliver had already placed one of Michael's bottles in her hand. She picked it up slowly and brought it to her lips. But then she cringed away, wrinkling her nose. Sticking her tongue out, she murmured, "Blegh," before scooting it far across the table.

"What? It's B positive, your favorite," Oliver insisted.

Claire grimaced. "Oh, that's… Ew," she said. Athena, however, looked to be in some sort of daze and wouldn't respond to Oliver's attempts to make her drink. Then, Michael's eyes lit up.

"What about food?" he suggested.

"What?" Oliver hissed.

"Well, before she was able to eat mortal food. She even said it tasted good. Maybe the baby wants human food."

But Oliver, being a typical man, focused on a single detail. "What do you mean before? When did she eat mortal food?" Eve rolled her eyes and stepped over to the cabinet. As she pulled out a loaf of whole wheat bread, she scolded,

"Should you really be bickering over something like that while your girlfriend is slowly decaying?" That seemed to catch Oliver's attention because his full focus transferred back to Athena. Eve separated a slice of bread from the loaf and held it out to Athena. "So?"

For a moment it looked like Athena was going to remain unresponsive, but then her black eyes focused and she snatched the bread from Eve's hand. She gobbled the portion of bread in record time then yanked the bag from Eve's grasp. When she'd devoured several more bread slices, Athena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I apologize. I seemed to have lost control for a bit there. But thank you for reviving me," she said.

Oliver crouched beside her chair and laid a hand on her forearm. "Are you alright now?" he asked. Athena smiled at him for a moment before saying,

"We're not naming him Dmitri." Oliver looked surprised for a moment. Then he started to laugh. It was such a strange sound because Oliver hardly ever laughed. But it was a good kind of strange. His hearty chuckles were full of relief and joy. When he finally regained control of himself, Oliver laughed,

"As long as you at least consider something else besides Constantine."

Then everybody laughed along with the couple.

But Athena's mirth was underlined with anxiety. The entire Darkling family had entered the room, and Meresna was gazing sadly at Athena. Wrapping her arm protectively over her stomach, Athena forced herself to think of happier things than the fact that loomed over her head like a dark storm cloud. It wasn't hard to let herself become distracted by Oliver's cheer. He was spouting different names he considered worthy, though Athena wasn't really listening. She was watching him, thinking of how excited he was. She'd never seen him like this before.

"Now, I know you said you felt certain it's going to be a boy, but I wanted to suggest some girl names," Oliver was saying when Athena tuned back into what was being said.

"Actually, I have some girl names in mind as well," Athena told him.

Oliver blinked. "But I thought you were certain that it's male."

"Even so, I don't want to be unprepared to name a daughter."

He grinned softly. "Alright, let's hear yours first."

"I was thinking Leslie."

Oliver seemed taken aback.

"What?"

"Well…it's just that it's such a modern name. I was expecting something older."

"Well, I like Annona as well, if you prefer an older name."

Oliver reached up to stroke her cheek lightly. "Actually, I was thinking of something Greek like your name. What do you think of Panthea?"

Athena's answer was a sweet smile and a swift kiss on his cheek. Then, she removed another slice of bread and began nibbling on it. Thomas wiggled his way closer to her chair and laid his head in her lap. That made her smile. She offered a portion of her bread to him. His coppery-colored tail wagged happily as he swallowed the food.

"I think we should go now," Eve whispered—though that wouldn't have kept the rest of the occupants of the kitchen from hearing—as Oliver grasped Athena's hand in his and they gazed into each other's eyes. Nonetheless, Claire, Shane, Michael, Eve, Amelie, Myrnin, and the Darklings exited the room quietly. When they'd closed the door behind them, Shane glanced at Michael.

"Want to kill some zombies?"

Michael started to reply with an enthusiastic yes, but Myrnin interjected. "I beg your pardon but zombies?" Shane looked a little confused.

"Yeah, you know the living dead? They eat brains?"

"What a ghastly ideal! And quite impossible, might I add. There is no possible way one could live off the nutrients solely provided from a diet of brains. Tell me, why do you wish to kill these things? Although it sounds to me like they're already dead so I don't quite see the point in killing them again…" Before Myrnin could continue rambling, Michael explained,

"It's a videogame, Myrnin. We play it for fun."

Myrnin's top lip gave the slightest twitch. He obviously disliked not understanding. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Videogame?"

Even Michael seemed taken aback at that. But then it dawned on him. "You've been out of commission for the last few decades. Right. Sorry. Why don't we just show you what videogames are?" Shane seemed a little reluctant, but Michael pulled him toward the couch, Myrnin following behind.

Eve and Claire exchanged an amused look. "So I guess it's just us girls," Eve said as she turned to look at Amelie. But the vampire was nowhere to be found. Once again, Eve turned her gaze to Claire. After they stared at each other saying a silent, _what the hell?_ Eve said, "Want to watch the guys?" Claire gave a quick nod and the pair settled on the sofa beside their boyfriends.

Myrnin was seated in the chair and was staring at the TV screen as Michael and Shane began their game. At first, he reacted as expected, disinterested and unimpressed. But then, he started shouting along with the boys when a zombie surprised them. Pretty soon he was cheering whenever zombie guts splattered across the screen. Claire and Eve found it quite hilarious to watch as the testosterone levels in the room excelled normal.

(SPACE)

Digging around in the fridge, Oliver asked over his shoulder, "Do you want to try some meat? They have quite a few ribs in here."

"Sure. That's fine," Athena said distractedly. Oliver wasn't so dense he wouldn't notice the way she was acting, but he didn't feel like he should pry about it. Something just seemed to say he really shouldn't.

Sticking the plate of ribs in the microwave, Oliver sighed. Women truly could be a mystery. Despite her silence, when the plate hit the table, Athena grabbed a rib and began stripping the bone of every fiber of meat. The messy red sauce that covered her lips and fingers could almost look like blood—which sat perfectly well with Oliver. It was how he'd always known her to feed.

As she licked the sauce from her fingers, Oliver glimpsed something out of place. "What is that?" he asked, grabbing for the hand he'd seen it on. But when his fingers brushed her hand, Athena jumped and yanked it toward her chest, her eyes wide.

"What's what?"

"Is that a _scar_?" Athena stayed silent, clutching her hand. Oliver's usual temper flared. "Athena, I saw it. Now explain. It's impossible for us to scar so how is it you have?"

Athena swallowed her bite of meat hard before shifting her eyes to the table and told him, "It's just a scratch from fighting the Darklings." Slamming his palm onto the table, Oliver growled,

"Don't lie to me, Athena. Even a wound from a Darkling would've healed by now."

Even though Oliver_ was_ very intimidating, Athena wasn't fazed a bit. Instead, she turned a fiery, black glare on him and snapped, "That wasn't a lie. Back off; it's none of your business."

It was like she was _trying_ to piss him off. "Yeah, because what happens to the woman I love and who is carrying my child is none of my business."

Scraping her chair back so hard it nearly toppled over, Athena stomped to her feet. "If you're going to—ah!" Athena clutched her stomach with one hand and the table with the other. Bent over, she waited for the searing pains to subside.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, their argument temporarily forgotten.

"I don't think the baby likes it when we fight," Athena laughed hoarsely. She slowly sat back down cradling her ever-swelling abdomen. Sighing, Oliver settled into the chair next to her.

"Look, I need to know how you got that scar. It's not normal, and it could affect the baby somehow, let alone you."

Calmly, Athena finally looked Oliver in the eye. She mentally prepared herself for what she had to tell him. "I got this from Julius."

Oliver's expression went through the emotions of an entire day in less than a minute. First, it changed from calm to shocked then concerned then angry. But then the real understanding dawned on him, and his dark eyes filled with immeasurable grief. "No. You-You can't. It can't be true."

Athena laid her hand on his; she couldn't meet his gaze so she just kept her tear-filled eyes on their hands. "I'm so sorry, but it is. It's true."


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay. So now you get to learn the mystery of what's happening to Athena! :D Please enjoy. Review! :)**

**Chapter 15**

Oliver stared blankly at Athena. "So…it's really happening?" he asked slowly. Athena's long lashes tickled her cheeks as she closed her eyes for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she focused her black eyes on Oliver's.

"Yes. Ollie, I-I wish I could tell you there was still hope, but I've already noticed changes," she said.

"Do you think it'll affect the baby?"

"I don't know. Perhaps we should ask Myrnin. If there was anybody to ask about Darkling transformations, it'd be him."

Oliver covered his face in his hands. Then, letting out a frustrated sigh, he stood and went into the den. Moments later, he reentered, Myrnin in tow. "I must complain; I'm not some oracle you can summon whenever you desire answers."

"Shut up and sit down," Oliver ordered gruffly. Myrnin looked like he wanted to retort, but Athena caught his eye and gave him the slightest shake of her head. Suspicion flickering across his face, Myrnin sank into the chair beside Athena. Oliver took the one on her other side.

Before either of the men could start snapping the other's head off, Athena explained, "We need you to answer a very serious question, Myrnin." Myrnin's gaze flitted between the other two, but he remained silent. "First, I suppose I should tell you about this." Athena held up her hand, displaying the scar on her hand. "I received this from Julius. You of all people know what that means. You studied Darklings extensively."

"Of course I realize what this means. A cut from Julius or from any other Darkling pack leader's claws results in the recipient of the claw mark transforming into a Darkling themselves. However, I've never heard of a vampire being infected with his poison. He doesn't usually fight himself. And now you are wondering whether the transformation with affect the child you bear," Myrnin said.

Unable to keep the amused smile off her face, Athena asked, "Well?"

"How should I know! Vampire children are unheard of in the first place."

"Then give it your best guess," Oliver growled through clenched teeth. Myrnin gave him a cold look before answering.

"I will give you a guess. Not even an educated guess just a simple hunch that is based off of little to no fact and—"

"_Just_ tell us and stop rambling. Please," Oliver said.

Myrnin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Frankly, I'd have to say that the transformation _will_ most likely have some kind of effect on the child."

Athena had been preparing for the worst, and Myrnin didn't even know for sure. So she didn't feel devastated at his words. But Oliver, on the other hand, slammed a hand on the table, nearly hard enough to crack it. His other hand was curled into a fist in his lap. "Terrific." Without giving Myrnin or Athena time to calm him down, Oliver sped out of the kitchen. The front door slammed as he headed out into the moonless night.

(SPACE)

Staring wide-eyed after the blur that had disappeared out the front door, Claire glanced at the others. "Who was that?" she asked.

"Oliver. But I'm not sure why…" Michael drifted off as he rose from his seat. But before he could take more than a couple of steps forward, the door to the kitchen opened, revealing Athena. Her belly had swollen a considerable amount, and she now looked a little wobbly on her feet. But when Myrnin offered her an arm to help steady her, she ignored it and hobbled to the nearest piece of furniture. It happened to be the couch where Shane and Michael were seated. They scooted over before she'd even reached it, allowing her plenty of room.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at them warmly. Everybody watched her intently as she settled herself, waiting for an explanation. When she'd finished fiddling with the pillow behind her, Athena looked up to find five pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Mind explaining?" Eve said hesitantly.

Athena blinked. Then she sighed and reclined backward. "I suppose there's no use in hiding it any longer." Tiredly, Athena recapped what had gone down in the kitchen.

"I don't believe this! So now you're going to be a vampire and a Darkling?" Eve gasped, her dark eyes wide.

"I don't know what's going to happen. Seeing as this has never happened before we can only make educated guesses and hope for the best," replied Athena. Her tone was dry and exhausted, and her eyelids felt like they had dumbbells hanging off of them.

"Man… So the baby might transform, too?" Shane asked.

Athena mumbled a yes.

"Guys, I think she needs to rest," Michael said. Without hesitation, Myrnin knelt beside Athena, snaked his arms under her knees and neck and lifted her easily. Carefully—almost tenderly—he ferried her upstairs.

"Hey, CB, want to help me make some food for when Athena wakes up? She's going to need it," Eve chimed, leaping from her perch. A little surprised, Claire pushed off the chair she'd curled up in and left the boys to play their games.

(SPACE)

Face covered in his hands, Oliver tried to get a hold of himself. This whole week had been insane. Cold, cool, emotionless Oliver was beginning to falter. _That's what she does to me. She wears me down like water on rock until there's nothing left of my protective wall. I'm exposed. Vulnerable,_ he thought. Taking a ragged breath, he looked at the starry sky. Then he realized, _My God. Ever since she came here, I've been _breathing_!_

"Love is a troubling thing," remarked a smooth voice. Oliver knew who it was without looking up—though now he was pissed at himself for letting her sneak up on him unnoticed.

"What would you know of it, Amelie? Who's to say I'm really in love with her?"

"Oh, but you are. Deeply."

Oliver glared at her, but didn't say anything because he knew it was true. Stretching flat out on his back, Oliver gazed up at the stars. He was lying on the sidewalk in front of the Glass house. It probably wasn't the brightest idea, seeing as they had unfriendly visitors in town, but he needed to clear his head.

That became difficult a moment later, when Amelie's pale face and silver hair appeared upside down just above his own. "What?" he snapped.

"It is never good when an ally is troubled in a time of strife," she replied, a grin curling the corners of her lips.

Meeting her gray eyes, Oliver spat, "It's a good thing we're not allies then."

"Come now, Oliver. Don't be shy."

Oliver shot up, twisting to glower at her. "I'm not being shy! When did you become so foolish—" His sentence caught in his throat when he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"When one of my dearest friends turned into a love stricken wreck. I need you, Oliver. We need each other. This is why I wanted you and Athena apart from each other. Your love is pure, the purest. But the purer a love is, the more violent it can be. The more damage it does to those who experience it."

Silence ensued.

Then a flicker of movement caught Oliver's attention. He met Amelie's gaze.

"They're here," they said in unison.

(SPACE)

Tray laden with chicken noodle soup, crackers, and Coke, Claire carefully picked her way upstairs. Making sure to knock before she entered, she flicked the switch to open the secret door. Stepping onto the landing, Claire spotted Myrnin tucking a patchy quilt around Athena. Setting the tray on the side table, Claire glanced sideways at Myrnin. He was acting uncharacteristically tender.

"No, little Claire, I am not in love with her," Myrnin announced without her even opening her mouth. Myrnin sighed as he straightened up, gazing down at Athena. "I could not love any but Ada." Claire couldn't suppress a tiny shiver at the name. Ada had tried to kill Claire in the past, and the memories still chilled her to the bone. "I simply take care of those that mean something to me."

"Like Amelie," Claire suggested. Myrnin looked into Claire's eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

"Yes, among others."

Curiosity bit at Claire, but she resisted the urge. He probably wouldn't tell her the other people he cared for if she asked, anyway. She was about to start for the door, but a loud crash from downstairs made her glance at Myrnin in alarm. They both came to the same conclusion.

While Myrnin sped ahead, Claire started to race after him, but then she remembered Athena. She was heavily pregnant and weak. Claire hesitated to leave her alone.

Finally, Claire decided that Athena would be safe enough as long as she closed the door behind her. The Darklings hopefully wouldn't know to look for a secret room. Clomping down the stairs in a rush, she made certain the door was shut before sprinting downstairs. Before she'd even reached the first floor, she heard snarls and barks from the living room.

Thomas and Meresna had cornered a large, brown Darkling. They snapped their giant fangs at the cowering beast. Though they seemed to have their opponent handled, Claire noticed several familiar silhouettes struggling with shiny masses through the gaping front door. Hurrying to the porch, she found Michael, Myrnin, Oliver, Amelie, Shane, and even Eve battling with an outnumbering army of Darklings. Myrnin and Oliver—brought together in their time of war, apparently—teamed up against two very large creatures with bushy grey fur. Shane and Eve fought side-by-side against a small white Darkling. Michael was slashing the Darkling's down with surprising ease, ambushing those planning to ambush his friends. Amelie alone battled against five Darklings at once. Though even she didn't seem to be having much trouble.

But suddenly, an estranged howl rose on the wind and the Darklings scattered into the dark. The one Meresna and Thomas had captured fled past Claire, tail between his legs.

A moment later, while everybody was still looking around in confusion, a huge gray mass, washed silver by the moonlight, ambled into view. Julius, the leader of the Darklings padded closer to the scene. Behind Claire, Thomas let out a low growl.

Julius's silver eyes swept the spectacle before him. Then, they slowly moved to gazed past Claire at his son. "Thomas. I'd hoped you had come to your senses and fled this place. But I see you are siding with the Heartless." Though his words were cold and stony, Julius's eyes gazed sadly at Thomas. "You have made your choice. Now I make mine." Julius raised his head to let out a long, eerie howl.

When nothing happened, Oliver snarled, "Looks like your plan isn't going so well."

"Oh contraire, you heartless fiend. Perhaps you should check on your beloved queen," growled Julius, his voice laced with hidden threats.

Oliver's eyes narrowed to slits. "What?" he hissed.

The Darkling simply smirked in response.

Just then, an alarmed bark sounded behind Claire. Meresna stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes shining with anxiety. Thomas quickly joined her, rasping to the others, "Athena needs help."

Oliver disappeared. The rest of them hurried to follow. Claire reached the door first, but she'd already heard the screams of pain from downstairs.

Athena was splayed out on the floor, writhing in agony. Her shrieks were breathless and panicked, and her whole body was lined with beads of sweat. _Are vampires supposed to sweat?_

Oliver was on his knees beside her, trying to restrain her to keep her from hurting herself or the baby. "Myrnin! _Help_!" he cried. This was insane. Oliver never asked for help—and definitely not from Myrnin.

Within seconds, Myrnin, Michael, and Amelie closed in to assist. Michael took control of her arms while Amelie restrained her legs. Somehow, Claire sensed that in any other situation, they wouldn't have been able to hold her down, but Athena's spasms had grown weaker.

Something was wrong. Athena was continuing to twitch feebly, but her face had gone lax and her eyes were blank. "Do something!" Oliver shouted at Myrnin.

"I would if I could. I don't know what to do," he replied mournfully.

For a moment, things seemed hopeless, but then Meresna emerged from behind the rest of them. Trailing behind her was her whole family: Thomas, Penny, and Tank. They all looked as if they wanted to offer their help.

Oliver curled his lip at them and crouched protectively over Athena. But Myrnin laid a hand on his shoulder. "They may be able to help, Oliver. Let them try."

Reluctantly, he allowed the Darklings to approach. Meresna went straight to where Michael was situated. He moved so that she could settle her body around Athena's head. The vampires got the message and moved away from Athena, all except Oliver who remained wary. Penny and Tank lay down on either side of Athena while Thomas curved himself at her feet. They'd created a sort of barrier around her.

"Leave us for now," Thomas grumbled. Everybody, with the exception of Oliver, exited the room quietly. But nobody left the hallway. They were all anxious to know what would happen to Athena. Not even the thought of Julius lingering outside distracted them.

Finally, the door to the hidden room popped open.


	16. Chapter 16

** Hey, everybody! Sorry for the delay. I had a project for Spanish class. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Have fun! ;)**

**Chapter 16**

Standing in the open doorway, was Oliver. A tiny bundle was snuggled against his chest, and as his eyes gazed down at the little person, Oliver couldn't keep the grin off his face. Claire felt her mouth drop when she saw what was enfolded in his arms.

Peering out of the blankets was a pair of pitch black eyes in a sweet, pudgy face. A bushy, gray, little tail hung down through the folds, and huge, fuzzy ears twitched from the top of a baby's head.

"It's a girl. Her name is Panthea." Oliver whispered like he was frightened of startling the baby.

Panthea blinked around at everyone with eyes exactly like her mother's. She was a mix between Athena's eyes, mouth, and small frame, Oliver's nose and facial structure, and Julius's gray fur—though hers was a bit lighter than Julius's. It was almost silver. She was beautiful.

"Congratulations," Myrnin chuckled. Then everyone joined in, congratulating Oliver and patting him on the shoulder. But Oliver hardly noticed. He seemed entrapped by his daughter.

"How is Athena?" asked Eve.

"She's fine. Just resting," Oliver replied.

They left Oliver alone with his newborn child and went to make sure Athena was comfortable. Claire was the first to reach the top of the stairs. She saw that Athena was indeed asleep on the couch, covers piled on top of her. Meresna lay asleep at the foot of the sofa. Thomas and Tank fiddled with the blankets and pillows around Athena while Penny placed a thick, wool quilt over her mother.

Nobody said a word, but throughout the room there was a warm feeling of comfort. Shane wiggled his fingers into Claire's and she clasped them tightly. Soon, Tank and Penny settled next to their mother to sleep. Thomas strolled over to Shane who gave his head a good rub.

Thomas led the way out.

At the bottom of the stairs, Michael and Eve disappeared into his room, Myrnin trotted downstairs for a meal, and Amelie followed Oliver back upstairs to admire Panthea.

"I guess it's just us, then," Shane muttered. His brown eyes were unbelievably warm as he gazed down at Claire. She felt like she might melt under those eyes.

Silently, Shane pulled her into his room and shut the door. Without taking his eyes from Claire's, Shane backed across the room until his legs hit the bed, and he sank down onto the mattress. He wrapped his arms around her legs and kissed her naval, making her gasp just a tiny bit.

"I love you," he murmured against her shirt. His words sent a shiver up Claire's spine.

"I love you, too," she breathed.

He slid his hands up, brushing the hem of her shirt upward with his fingers. Claire circled her arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him. At first, the kiss was soft then it turned heated, and somehow, her shirt came to lie on the floor. His soon joined it a moment later, and the next thing they knew, the two were sprawled on his bed that was hardly big enough to fit the two of them.

(SPACE)

Padding down the steps of the front porch, Thomas spotted the silver mass that was his father in the yard. He seemed to be waiting for Thomas. Coming to a halt, Thomas raised his head high, refusing to be intimidated by his father. But Julius hardly seemed to take notice of his son's arrival. He was staring at the waning moon, silver eyes washed white in the cold light.

"The thing is born, I presume," Julius grumbled without moving his eyes from the orb in the sky.

"Yes," Thomas grunted. Before his father could say anything else, Thomas growled, "Why?"

There was no need for him to elaborate farther; his father understood. "I think you know why, son."

Thomas's tail swished angrily over the dew-covered grass. "You must stop," he demanded.

Finally, Julius looked at his son. For the first time, it seemed like he was really _looking_ at Thomas. But all he said was, "What do those fools have you wearing?"

Blinking, Thomas remembered Shane's requirement that he wear pants. Eve had bought several pairs of jean shorts and cut a hole through them for his tail. "Clothes are not bad," he protested. He was not going to let his father manipulate him into feeling ashamed.

The pointed ears atop Julius's scalp twitched. Then he stood and turned to leave, but Thomas cut him off. "I will not talk with an audience," was all he said before shoving past his only child and racing into the night.

Thomas felt confused. Audience? Then a familiar scent drifted on the wind. A moment later, a smooth voice said, "Sorry about that. I suppose I wasn't being as inconspicuous as I thought."

Twisting his head around, Thomas saw the figure of the odd Heartless—Merney or something—hovering a few feet away. Surprisingly, Thomas didn't feel frustrated with the Heartless for destroying his chance to talk with his father. Actually, he felt…relieved. Thomas didn't feel like he could quite handle his father right then, and Merney had driven Julius away.

"It okay," he grunted. Turning back toward the house, Thomas took three steps before Merney mused,

"It's interesting how Julius referred to Oliver and Athena's child as a thing and not a being, even though it was partly his own creation." That made Thomas pause.

"Has no feeling for her. Sees her as weapon," said Thomas. Then he slowly paced up the sidewalk and into the house, ignoring Merney when he asked,

"Weapon? What do you mean?"

(SPACE)

The door shut behind Amelie as she left Oliver alone with his newborn child, the family of sleeping Darklings, and his sleeping lover. Panthea's eyes were beginning to flicker and her pink little mouth widened in a yawn. Oliver felt his heart squeeze at the adorable squeak she made.

Readjusting her covers, Oliver started rocking her back and forth. Panthea was soon in a deep slumber.

Settling down next to Athena's curled body, Oliver watched the two people he loved the most in the world. After a moment, Athena rolled onto her back, blinking. When she saw Oliver with the bundle of life in his arms, she grinned wider than he'd ever seen. "She's beautiful," she mumbled sleepily.

Carefully, Oliver slid his daughter into Athena's outstretched arms. As she looked into the face of her baby, something about Athena changed. She seemed to glow with pure joy. But at the same time, Oliver thought he saw a glimmer of sorrow in her black eyes. "Something the matter?" he asked.

"It's just… I wish she didn't have to deal with all of this," Athena gestured to the infant's pointed dog ears. "I couldn't care less that she's different, but I know that others of our kind won't accept her."

Oliver slithered an arm around Athena's shoulders. "They will. And if they don't they might, let's say, take a long trip and mysteriously disappear."

A smile brushed across Athena's face, and she leaned her head onto Oliver. "Thank you, Ollie. I love you."

He kissed her hair and murmured, "Not as much as I love you."

(SPACE)

Shrill howls stirred Claire from her dreams. For a terrifying moment, she thought that more Darklings had attacked. But then, she noticed that there was just one voice, and it was a lot more high-pitched than the Darklings'. Plus, she remembered that they _were_ in fact housing a family of the creatures.

She was surprised to see that Shane had already gotten up. Usually, she was the first person in the whole Glass house to rise. She was even more surprised when she saw that it was still dark outside. Shane never woke up before noon.

Detangling herself from the sheets, she yanked her jeans and shirt back on. As quietly as she could, she crept down the hall to her room to grab a change of clothes. She almost made it, too, but a snarky voice laughed, "Looks like you had a good night."

Eve was standing with her hands on her hips in front of the stairs. Claire wondered why she hadn't heard Eve—who was the loudest out of all the inhabitants of the house. Then Claire saw that she was dressed in a fluffy, black robe and puffy house slippers. Claire stuck her tongue out at Eve before asking, "What is that noise?"

At the question, Eve's eyes lit up. "Oh, it's so adorable! You have to come and see." Before Claire could say anything else, Eve sped back down the stairs.

Befuddled, Claire quickly dressed in fresh clothes and ran a comb through her messy, brown hair while the loud howling continued downstairs. Rushing down the steps, Claire came to a stop at the base of the stairs. The entire population of the house was crowded in a circle in the living room. Everybody was smiling and laughing at whatever was howling in the center of the circle.

Standing on her tiptoes to see over Michael's shoulder, Claire found Oliver and Athena situated on the floor where the coffee table usually was. With them was a child that looked about two years old with silver fur, pointed dog ears, and a bushy tail hanging through the hole in her yellow dress.

It was Panthea.

She'd grown from a newborn to a toddler in a single night.

The little Darkling-vampire baby was standing—yes, born yesterday and standing—with her hands balled into fists at her sides, her eyes clamped shut, and a her lips forming a little circle.

"Isn't she cute?" Eve asked from beside Claire. Smiling slightly, Claire nodded.

For a while, they watched as Panthea entertained them with her stumbling around, funny noises, and other assorted cute things. But then the sun began to rise, and the vampires retreated to the shadows. Athena was hesitant to expose Panthea to sunlight, but Oliver convinced her to.

Anxiously, they all—those not allergic to the sun, that is—stepped out onto the porch to wait for sunrise. Athena kept one foot inside the door so that if Panthea's skin started to burn she could rush back inside with vampire speed.

But the sun rose above the horizon without event. Panthea had apparently inherited her mother's ability to withstand sunlight.

So Claire, Eve, Shane, the Darklings, Athena, and Panthea stayed outside for a while, enjoying the sunrise.

"Are you worried about how fast she's growing?" Claire asked. The thought had been biting at her for some time; she'd just never gotten the chance to ask.

"I asked Meresna about it. She said that it was approximately the same rate at which Darklings grow. Apparently, they grow at a highly accelerated rate until they reach about Penny's and Tank's size. At that time the growth rate slows to a more normal one." Panthea plucked a weed from the ground and brought it to her nose. Athena smiled softly and ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "What I'm more worried about is my transformation. It doesn't seem like Panthea's been effected by it other than the obvious. But I don't know exactly how it will affect me."

"Have you noticed any changes?" Shane asked. He had his head in Claire's lap while she traced patterns over the skin of his arm.

Athena's eyes darkened. "Yes. My fangs have grown quite a bit longer. And my nails keep wanting to extend to a ridiculous length—one worthy of a Darkling." Panthea began stripping the weed she'd picked of its leaves. The sticky resin made the leafy bits cling to her fingers, and she seemed fascinated by it.

"Well, at least it doesn't seem like the transformation is progressing very quickly," Claire said optimistically. Athena smiled at her gratefully.

Suddenly, Panthea's eyes, tail, and ears shot straight up. She was staring past Claire. Thomas, Meresna, Tank, and Penny did the same. Everybody whirled around to stare at the shadow that had appeared in the yard.

Thomas, Meresna, and Tank placed themselves defensively between Julius and the others, their posture as intimidating as possible. "Not welcome here, father," Thomas snapped.

"So I am not allowed to check up on my own creation?" Julius was plopped casually on his haunches like he wasn't faced with any kind of threat.

At Julius's words, Athena pulled Panthea closer to her, protectively.

Shane stood angrily and growled, "Don't call Panthea your creation. She's Oliver and Athena's—"

Julius interrupted him, raising a scarred hand/paw. "I am not speaking of the thing. I am referring to her." He pointed to Athena.

Her black eyes widened. Then a flame of fury sparked in them and she rose to her feet. "I was not created by you, Julius. You are trying to alter me, for what purpose I do not know. But I will not tolerate such—" Julius snapped his finger/claws.

Athena seemed to freeze for a moment, then her eyes turned a bright shade of silver and her fangs slid down. But they kept on coming. Her canines seemed to be laboring to pull down bone that wasn't supposed to be there. Blood oozed from her gums and began streaming from her fingertips where her nails were extending as if they were being yanked on by pliers.

Everybody was too horrified to do anything.

Then a small yet strong voice commanded, "Stop."

**Oo! Wonder who it was ;) Ha-ha! Again, I apologize for the wait! Hope you enjoyed, and I will try to get the next chapter up much quicker! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay! So I tried to get this chapter up as quickly as I could since the last one was such a cliffhanger, haha! I hope you enjoy it lots. :)**

**Chapter 17**

Immediately, Athena's body slumped. She would've fallen to the ground had Shane not caught her. He lowered her unconscious form carefully to the grass. But nobody was paying attention to that. All eyes had snapped to the little person standing on steady legs behind Shane and Athena. Claire couldn't even breathe, she was so shocked.

Panthea glared defiantly at Julius. As she stepped closer to her mother, Panthea seemed to be growing insanely rapidly. Her silver hair lengthened, pouring down her shoulders, her bushy tail smoothed into a sleek, shimmering swath of fur, and her ears grew to the size of bread slices. Magically, her yellow dress—which was sized for a baby—changed sizes as she grew. The infant that had been born mere _hours_ ago now resembled a child of ten years of age.

Fearlessly, she confronted the Darkling leader—with perfect speech, amazingly. "Julius, I will not tolerate you hurting those close to me."

Julius's face was one of utter incredulousness. "How—How did you—" he stammered. He was on his feet now, slowly backing away as if he were terrified of the little girl in front of him.

"A being with vampire, human, _and_ Darkling powers combined, is bound to be far more powerful than any other. You ought to know that, being the scientist who first created Darklings _and_ released the vampire disease," Panthea said. Her voice was young, but confident and brave. It was like she'd been born to do this.

_No way!_ Claire thought. _How can she know all of this?_

"But you were naïve, Julius. You didn't take into account that Athena was in love with Oliver. And now, your plan to use Athena as your own weapon has backfired. You have forfeited your power over Darklings to me, seeing as I am the most powerful. And now," Panthea paused, crouching beside her mother "it is time to right that which was wronged."

Running an open hand from Athena's forehead to just above her heart. Curling her fingers into a fist as if she were grabbing some invisible object, Panthea's eyes became absorbed in black. Her silver fur seemed to glow in the morning sun as she slowly pulled some unseen force from Athena's body. Athena arced upward at the point where Panthea seemed to be dragging something from her.

Gradually, Athena's fangs and claws returned to their normal size. The blood disappeared, as did the scar on her hand that Julius had given her. She seemed to be almost entirely healed when Julius screeched, "No! I will not let you destroy my work!" He lunged at Panthea, claws and fangs outstretched to mangle her fragile body. But before anybody else could react, Panthea raised her other hand calmly. When she pointed it palm-out, Julius seemed to freeze in midair.

Then, as if a freight train had slammed into him, he rocketed backward at an upward curve. He kept going up, and up, and up. Finally, a dot in the sky, Julius stopped. Not for long, however, because soon he was plummeting back toward the earth.

Claire was so amazed that she couldn't even think. She could only watch as Julius's dark shape plunged into the earth at full speed. There was a big cloud of dust, and an echoing bang as he met the ground.

And Panthea didn't even look up.

Everybody was far too stunned to move until Panthea rose to her feet. Brushing Athena's feathery hair from her face, Panthea lightly slapped her mother's cheek. Athena's lids fluttered and she gave a little cough.

Then she blinked and stared at Panthea. "Wh—" she began, but Panthea grinned a sharp-toothed grin and said,

"Hi, Mommy."

(SPACE)

Panthea had picked up her mother and taken her inside, Claire and Eve just behind. Shane had stayed outside with Thomas and his family. Carefully, the group approached Julius's landing sight. Most of the dust had cleared, but it was still difficult to see. Thomas snuffed at the ground until he found a small crater. Inside the dent lay Julius. Thankfully he hadn't splattered into a million tiny bits like Shane had feared.

No, Julius's body wasn't even mangled or broken anywhere. He almost could have been sleeping.

"He is not dead," said a little voice behind Shane. Before he even turned around, he knew it was Panthea. She stood with her hands clasped loosely behind her yellow dress, her silver hair twisting in the soft breeze. "I am not so merciless as to take life when it is not necessary."

Her black eyes gazed down at Julius's form. Shane thought he saw a glimmer of sympathy in them. "Julius was not always so terrible. He was driven insane by his need to discover things," she explained.

"How do you know all of this? I mean, no offense, but you were born _yesterday_," said Shane.

Panthea chuckled and glanced up at Shane. "I was born knowing. It is my purpose to know."

Shane blinked. He'd never been good with the philosophical mumbo jumbo. So he just nodded like he understood.

Just then, Julius snorted. Panthea bent to pick him up to haul him somewhere when Thomas laid a clawed hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met. "As you wish," she said after a moment. Thomas gave her a little bow and shifted his father's body so that he could carry him.

Meresna, Tank, and Penny followed after Thomas, leaving Shane and Panthea alone. Nervously wiping his palms on his jeans, Shane stepped toward the house, giving the younger girl an uncomfortable smile.

"Don't ever do anything to lose her, Shane. She could be your downfall, true. But she could also mean your ascent to success," Panthea breathed. She didn't even so much as glance at Shane before skipping across the lawn and into the house.

Stunned into silence, Shane stared after her for so long that Claire came out onto the porch to call him in. Slowly stumbling back into the house, Shane puzzled over Panthea and her words.

(SPACE)

"I don't understand," Oliver hissed. He was flitting around the room like a hummingbird, glaring at Julius's body on the couch. "He—He—" Taking a completely unnecessary breath, he regained control of his stuttering. Finally, he whispered dangerously, "_I want him out._"

"Oliver, calm down," Athena argued. She had Panthea curled up asleep in her lap. Apparently, Panthea had used her enormous power to force her body to grow far quicker than it normally would have when she saw her mother in distress. Now that the danger had passed, she was exhausted. Claire supposed that even seemingly all-powerful beings needed rest at times. She was a little scared to imagine what Panthea would be like once she was full-grown. "Panthea wants him here and unharmed. You wouldn't go against Panthea's wishes, would you?"

"She's a child!" Oliver's voice had risen almost to a yell, and Athena gave him a warning look.

Then she said calmly, "You know very well that she is no ordinary child. She reversed my transformation and defeated Julius. Do you think those are the feats of a normal young girl?"

"Nonetheless, she is _still_ a child. She cannot possibly make such a decision as to keep such a monster under this roof!"

Athena's face darkened—and strangely, it seemed the room did as well. "You may have no mercy in that frozen-over heart of yours," Oliver's blinked at the harshness in her voice, "but there is no reason to throw him out. Panthea is far stronger than any of us. If Julius tried anything, she has the power to stop him."

Oliver was puzzled into silence. Athena continued to glare at him, hugging Panthea closer to her. The air in the room seemed to crackle with tension. Finally, Panthea wiggled in her mother's grasp and stretched her arms. Oliver's earlier consternation dissipated as his daughter awoke. In the blink of an eye, he was kneeling in front of Athena's chair. Sleepy eyes narrowed, Panthea smiled happily at the sight of her father. "Hello, Papa," she mumbled. Wrapping her little arms around his neck, she grabbed him in a hug. For a moment, he seemed taken aback by the affection, but then he pulled her into his arms. Closing his eyes, he held her tiny frame against him.

The scene practically forced a satisfied grin on Claire's lips. She laid her head on Shane's shoulder, and he squeezed her hand. Oliver straightened up and twirled Panthea around in the air making her squeal with delight. For once, he _really_ seemed happy. Everybody felt content and warm watching the pair, even the Darklings. After a while, Oliver set Panthea on the ground and held out a hand to Athena. She still seemed a bit grumpy from their squabble, but she took his hand and he wrenched her into a joyous dance. Even Athena couldn't resist his infectious glee; she was soon smiling and laughing along with everybody else.

Michael busted out his guitar and started playing a quick, folksy song. Then Myrnin coaxed Amelie into a dance. Claire couldn't help thinking they made an epic couple. Both were so…traditionally beautiful. Amelie resembled an icy princess, her pale blue dress swirling around her like a pond in winter. And Myrnin—sweet, insane Myrnin—Claire could imagine him a handsome peasant, trying to steal the princess's heart.

Thomas and Meresna concocted their own form of dancing. The two twined their tails and arms and swayed in time with the music.

Claire noticed Tank inching closer and closer to the chair from which Panthea clapped and watched her parents dance. Once he reached her chair, Tank ducked his head, ears flattened, as if to ask her if it was okay to be there. Panthea grinned and glided a small hand through his black fur, making Tank's tail slap the floor.

It was a perfect Hallmark moment. But it ended just as quickly as it started.

Beside Claire, Julius's lumpy silhouette began to stir. When everyone noticed, the music stopped, the dancers jolted mid-twirl, and the light atmosphere evaporated, replaced by one of wariness.

Julius grumbled, shaking his head. Looking around at the people in the room, Julius's eyes narrowed distastefully. Lastly, they landed on Panthea. When he saw her, his ears hugged his head, the fur along his spine bristled, and a throaty growl came from him. But he didn't look like he was about to lunge. On the contrary, he was cringing away from her.

Before anybody could react, Julius raised his head and belted out a long, ear-piercing howl. Oliver cut him off with a snarl, but Julius had made his point. He'd called for reinforcements.

Everyone was on their feet in seconds. Eve rushed off with Michael, Myrnin, and Amelie to gather weapons.

Joy gone from his eyes, Oliver glowered at Athena. "'She has the power to stop him,' huh?" he snapped.

Her black eyes narrowed menacingly. "Don't you dare—" But a loud rumbling sound made her stop. She and Oliver ran to the window, though Claire already knew what would be outside.

"There are hundreds of them," Athena reported matter-of-factly.

"That's right. And they will rip you all to shreds at my command," Julius rasped.

There was a short silence while Athena stared mournfully at Julius as if she were exhausted of this battle. Then, an unexpected voice simply said, "You are wrong."

Julius snorted at Panthea. "I am _not_ wrong you dimwitted little twit!"

"Then why has the 'ripping to shreds' not begun?"

Julius looked surprised. Looking slightly panicked, he barked toward the windows. As time passed and nothing happened, fear sparked in his silver eyes.

"Were you not listening to me before, my dear Darkling? All power over the Darkling packs has been transferred to me. You are no longer their leader," she told him calmly. Panthea slid from her seat and started for the door. Oliver stepped in her way, his face grim. But the girl just looked into her father's face then hugged his waist tightly. She murmured a soft, "I love you," and slipped past him.

Claire trailed after Panthea. She caught up just in time to see the child open the front door.

Outside were countless furry beasts.

Each and every one of them bowed as Panthea stepped out onto the porch.

** So REVIEW PLEASE! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you all for the reviews. They made me very happy. :) Now, it makes me really sad to tell you guys that this is the last chapter. There will be an epilogue, but after that there's no more. :( Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please review!**

**Chapter 18**

Claire was robbed of speech as she watched Panthea stride through the crowd of Darklings. The beasts parted like the Red Sea as she made her way to the middle. It was a bizarre scene: a tiny child in a yellow sundress, wading through a sea of grotesquely mutilated creatures under a full moon.

As she passed them, Panthea would reach out and skim her fingers over some of their heads. It was almost a longing action.

Oliver and Athena came to stand behind Claire, observing their daughter. When Panthea reached the center of the patch of Darklings, she turned and beamed back at us. Thomas and his family slid around us to join their fellows. Tank rushed past the other Darklings until he reached Panthea. He sank down beside her and she ran her fingers through his black fur.

"Panthea…" Athena sighed. Her tone dripped with sadness.

Over the heads of the Darklings, Panthea called, "We have a question for you, Mommy. You, Papa, Auntie Amelie, and Uncle Myrnin, actually."

Claire looked back. Indeed, Amelie and Myrnin had joined Oliver and Athena. Behind them, Shane, Michael, and Eve struggled to see. Feeling like she was in the way, Claire moved to let everyone out on the porch.

The vampires—besides Michael—stepped forward. "Speak, little one," Amelie commanded. Her manner was formal, but her tone also seemed warmer than usual as she gazed at Panthea. Claire also couldn't keep from noticing how close together she and Myrnin were standing.

"The Darklings wish to stay in Morganville. In return for asylum, they offer their protective services over the city during the day when the rest of you are…unavailable. Is that acceptable?"

Claire expected the vampires to discuss the proposal, but straight away, Amelie answered, "It is. We offer refuge to those of your pack who wish it." The Darklings began howling and leaping in joy. Panthea grinned at her mother. Athena's face seemed to appear much younger than it had a moment ago because she was so relieved—about what, Claire wasn't sure.

Oliver, however, didn't look so happy. He looked as if he was about to object, but Panthea—riding upon Tank's back—hopped onto the porch in front of him. Smiling up at him, black eyes gleaming excitedly, she giggled and wrapped her skinny arms around his waist. Something seemed to give up in Oliver. The tension left his body, and he patted her on the head between her big, silver dog ears.

Eve cuddled closer to Michael, warmed by the sight. Claire felt a hand slip into hers. Shane stared at Panthea and her parents, a soft smile curling his lips. Everything seemed perfect now.

Then a scratchy voice rasped from the doorway, "So you're going to steal my children from me?" Everyone turned to find Julius leaning on the doorframe, breathing heavily. Instead of being angry, his tone was tired, defeated. He looked the part, too. His entire body shook with exhaustion and who knows what else. After all, he did just free-fall from more than a hundred feet in the air. Those eyes that had once gleamed with power and pride were now slits of pathetic, broken spirit.

Panthea's face saddened. Strolling over to him, she laid a hand on his cheek. Seeming surprised, Julius's eyes widened and stared up at her.

Her voice was soft—affectionate even—as she said, "You have served your children well, Julius. But your time has long since come, and you know it. I vow to lead your people as well as I am able. So now, I let you rest, my friend."

Something in Julius's old, wide, silver eyes changed. They no longer looked broken or tired or angry. A calm light seemed to glow in them for a moment. Then it flickered and his eyes closed. The shadow of a grateful smile shimmered on his lips.

Panthea caught his bulk before he dropped to the ground.

Julius was gone.

(SPACE)

Watching Thomas lower his father's body into the eight-foot deep hole he and the other Darklings had dug was…oddly calming. Usually, funerals are sad and depressing. But Julius had died in peace. He'd been happy to go, finally relieved of his duty to the Darklings.

It had all worked out. Athena was content with Panthea having found her place among the Darklings who accepted her, even worshipped her. Even Oliver now looked at least satisfied as he stood straight, hands clasped in front of him in respect. Julius had been our enemy, but time had taught us to pay our respects even to those who have done us wrong. His dark eyes were glued to the procession before him. Athena gently slipped an arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. The soft material of his jacket felt so soothing against her skin, and his fingers laced with hers.

When the funeral had ended, Thomas sat in front of his father's grave. Despite his father's betrayal, Thomas still cared for him. Julius had still been his father. Meresna stayed behind, along with Penny, so that Thomas wouldn't feel lonely. But Tank trailed loyally after Panthea who was walking with the rest of the vampires and humans toward the house. Something protective inside Athena wrenched, and she was tempted to fling herself at the Darkling that followed her daughter. Then Panthea looked at her and smiled softly as if she knew.

Athena almost felt guilty. Panthea could obviously take care of herself. And Tank evidently cared deeply for her.

"I don't know what the proper age for dating these days is, but somehow I want to rip any male's head off who gets close to her," Oliver grumbled. He too observed their daughter with Tank.

Athena couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I think she'll be fine. If she can handle taking over a pack of Darklings, I think she can handle one boy," she chuckled.

Oliver didn't look convinced. "Ruling people is one thing; boys are another subject entirely."

Athena threw her head back in laughter. For the first time in too long, she felt light and happy.

Just then, Oliver's grasp tightened on her hand. She blinked and looked at him. His coal-hued eyes had a strange, unfamiliar light in them. If she hadn't known better, Athena would've said it was…love. But no. Oliver never allowed his heart to thaw enough to actually _love_ anyone.

Silently, Oliver swept Athena around to the back of the Glass house where it was quieter. Feeling a little alarmed, Athena watched Oliver carefully. He seemed slightly nervous.

"I need to talk with you about something private. Will you follow me?" he muttered.

"Where to?" she asked.

He hesitated like he was reluctant to tell her. "Somewhere special," was his only reply before he grabbed her hand and tugged her away into the night with unbelievable speed.

(SPACE)

Finally, Oliver slowed to a halt. Athena had barely been able to catch a glimpse of the path they'd taken to reach their destination. Mainly because she'd been too stunned by his sudden rashness, but also because she'd been distracted by that shine in his eyes.

Something was going on.

Now, however, Athena took the time to observe her surroundings. They'd reached a small hole in a hill: the opening to a cave. All around, sparse, Texan foliage scattered the hillside, making Athena puzzle as to why he'd brought her here.

Moving aside some dry brush, Oliver stepped into the black opening. Having perfect night vision, Athena wasn't afraid of following. However tempting it was to ask him what was going on, something about him said to wait and her questions would be answered.

Nonetheless, Athena still felt a little anxious as they stumbled deeper into the cave. It was relatively simple. Not many other tunnels branched off, but it was small. Athena had to crouch a bit which meant that Oliver was practically bending over entirely as he led the way.

Eventually, the path narrowed to the point that Athena thought it was about to end. But then it opened into an enormous cavern. Hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites hung from the ceiling and jutted out of the floor like knives. There was a hole in the roof where a skinny ray of moonlight shone through at an angle. In the very center of the cavern, directly below the hole in the ceiling, stood a huge stalagmite.

The splish-splash of water reached Athena's ears, and she saw that a tiny pond surrounded the big stalagmite. A little stream of water fell from a crack in the rock into the pond.

"Come drink," Oliver ordered. He stooped to scoop some of the water from the pond into his hands. The water looked beautiful like it had never been touched by human contamination. Oliver slurped the handful of water up.

Tentatively, Athena approached the pool and ducked to scoop the cool water into her hands. Putting her hands to her lips, she tasted the water.

It was amazing.

The best thing she'd ever tasted, including blood.

"It's wonderful!" she breathed. Oliver smiled at her awed expression.

"Just wait," he teased. Sitting down on the floor, he patted the place beside him. Athena lowered herself onto the cold stone.

"Why are we here, Ollie?"

Instead of answering, Oliver just stared at the reflection of the moonlight on the floor. It was creeping closer and closer to the big stalagmite.

"Ollie? Come on, I—" But Athena stopped abruptly mid-sentence. There were no words to describe the wonder and beauty of what she saw. As soon as the sliver of moonlight touched the stalagmite in the center of the room, the entire rock lit up like a diamond in sunlight.

The pale light bounced around the room, hitting every single stalagmite and stalactite. Each of them blazed like a torch with glittering, white light.

Oliver reached his hand out to take Athena's. At his touch, she gazed at him in total awe.

"I brought you here to ask you a question, Athena," he began. His black eyes were so warm and bright that Athena thought she might melt under their glare. He continued, "I've been thinking about this ever since you arrived in town. Now that Panthea's born, I think it's only natural."

Digging in his pocket, Oliver came up with a little black box lined with velvet. Athena could've sworn her still-beating heart stopped at the sight of that cube. She knew exactly what this was.

Bringing the box closer to her, Oliver looked straight into her eyes and whispered, "Athena, I love you. I never thought I'd be able to love again. I thought I'd completely sealed off my heart. But every time I see you, it's like someone just blasted it with fire, electricity, and every other power on earth all at the same time. Every time, a little part of my heart wakes back up. I realize now that I need you. You keep me…sane. So, Athena, will you be my wife?"

(SPACE)

Everybody had settled in the living room, even Amelie and Myrnin were seated beside each other on the sofa. To everyone's surprise—though nobody mention it—Myrnin had tangled his fingers with Amelie's and was stroking the back of her hand.

Claire had to sit in Shane's lap so everyone had room, which she was totally fine with. Eve and Michael shared one of the puffy, threadbare chairs while Tank and Panthea were curled in the other.

The Darkling pack had been content to sleep outside in the open.

Nobody spoke, but it wasn't awkward. They were all just too exhausted to even do anything. So much had happened in the last several days.

Nearly everybody was half-asleep by the time the front door creaked open, waking everyone up. Athena walked through, her black eyes bright. She scratched her head with her left hand. Something shiny reflected the light of the lamp on her finger.

Eve gasped.

Leaping from Michael's lap, she rushed over to Athena, grabbing her hand.

Right then, Oliver strutted into the room, tall as a rooster with his chest puffed out in pride like a peacock flashing its dazzling feathers.

"Oh my God! I can't believe he proposed to you!" Eve punched Oliver in the arm. "You sly dog!" she teased. He blinked and glared at her contemptuously, but that disappeared in a millisecond, and he was back to being proud and happy.

All the occupants of the room that had been sitting rose from their seats and bombarded the couple like a tidal wave. Myrnin whisked Athena off her feet in a gigantic embrace and kissed her cheek in congratulations while Amelie grinned coolly and gave Oliver a light pat on the shoulder.

Claire thought it would've been adorable if he'd grabbed her in a big hug, but he simply extended a polite hand to her. But then Myrnin appeared and grabbed all three of them: Athena, Amelie, and Oliver in a bone-crushing embrace.

When Myrnin set them down, Oliver looked as if he was ready to murder Myrnin, but then Panthea wiggled her way through and clamped onto Oliver's waist like she'd done earlier. Only this time, she wouldn't let go. Her face was plastered with a grin too large for her face, and she refused to dislodge herself from her father.

Everybody laughed as the little girl beamed at her family, and not just her mother and father.

Everyone else in that room was her family as well.

**So remember! This is the last chappy before the epilogue! REVIEW! BIGTIME! :)**


	19. Epilogue

** OHMAHGOSHES! IT'S THE LAST PART TO THIS STORY! D': Haha! :) So if you never reviewed on my story before, now's the time to do it! Also, I'd like to mention that the new character, Amy, is based off of my new, very good acquaintance who I believe to be quite phantasmagorical: Evanescence-in-Constantinople! :D Thanks everyone for your devotion and reviews. I hope this is a satisfactory ending for all of you fantastic readers. :)**

** Epilogue**

When Myrnin set them down, Oliver looked as if he was ready to murder Myrnin, but then Panthea wiggled her way through and clamped onto Oliver's waist like she'd done earlier. Only this time, she wouldn't let go. Her face was plastered with a grin too large for her face, and she refused to dislodge herself from her father.

Everybody laughed as the little girl beamed at her family, and not just her mother and father.

Everyone else in that room was her family as well.

**2 years later**

Silver moonlight spilled over the land as if someone had accidentally splashed a cup of milk over the desert. It bleached everything, making Tank's silver eyes even more transparent as Panthea gazed at him. She smiled and wrapped her arms around her mate's neck. The two twined tails for a moment before turning to look down into the valley. They could spot the Glass house in the distance, its windows ablaze as everyone prepared for the big event.

Panthea twisted around to give her pack a nod before heading down the hillside toward the house.

(SPACE)

"Hand me that brush, Claire," Eve ordered absently as she tried to tame the little girl's hair that she was struggling to arrange. The girl perched on the seat of Eve's vanity table was named Amy. She was Amelie and Mrynin's adopted daughter. The couple had found the poor vampire child while they'd been away on a trip. She'd been one of Bishop's victims. It was amazing she'd survived so long on her own.

Claire gave Eve the hairbrush so that she could continue hacking away at the child's uncooperative, dark curls. However, Claire's mind was far away in a land full of Shane. He'd recently proposed to her, and she still hadn't completely recovered from the shock—which irritated the stew out of Myrnin when he needed her help with an experiment but she was off daydreaming of Shane.

"Hurry, Auntie Eve! I see the Darklings coming!" exclaimed Amy. Claire blinked and noticed that it was true. Through the window, Claire could clearly see the outline of the horde of Darklings—led by Panthea and Tank who were now its leaders—approaching the house quickly.

"Stop squirming!" Eve commanded. She was struggling with Amy as the six year-old bounced in her seat excitedly. "Just one more flower… There!" Eve threw her arms up in triumph. Claire admired Eve's masterpiece. Amy's sleek, dark hair was now crowned with freshly-picked daisies. In the next moment, however, the little vampire was shooting out the door toward the stairs. "Don't mess up your hair!" Eve called. She pouted a moment, glaring after the little girl. Claire laughed and patted the other girl's shoulder.

"You can't expect anything more from a child," comforted Claire.

"Yeah, well, Panthea wasn't like that."

"Panthea was…special."

Eve rolled her eyes, but Claire saw the corners of her mouth twitch up in a smile. Eve loved to complain about Amy simply because she adored the little creature. It was her way of expressing her love.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "Is it safe to come in? All females clothed and everything?" It was Michael. He poked his head around the door, eyes peering cautiously. Eve smirked and stepped over to ruffle his hair. He tried to defend against her reaching hand exclaiming, "Hey, whoa there! I just finished doing my hair!"

"Oh, please! You could wake up, slap some dirty clothes on, and you'd still look presentable!" Claire chided.

Michael laughed, but behind him, a voice whined, "What about me?" Michael stepped in to let Shane through. He had a mock-pouty face on, and was giving Claire his best puppy-dog eyes. Claire giggled manically, moving closer to him. She had to admit, he looked pretty sexy in his suit, though he refused to tuck anything in or wear a tie.

Standing on her tiptoes to reach his ear—though Michael probably heard anyway—she whispered, "You'd look good in anything, especially nothing."

Shane smirked proudly and slithered an arm around her waist. He placed a hot, aggressive kiss to her lips.

"Okay, enough PDA from the future spouses," Eve complained. She was cuddled in Michael's arm. He hadn't proposed to her yet, but everybody expected it to happen really soon. Eve's temper had become unusually short ever since Shane had proposed to Claire. Claire expected it was because the Goth Queen in her lacy, black dress and stiletto heels was growing impatient. But Michael seemed hesitant. Claire thought it might be because of the whole I'm-an-immortal-vampire-and-you're-a-mortal-who's-going-to-die-someday thing.

Shane rolled his eyes but followed Michael and Eve downstairs, Claire still clinging to him.

At the foot of the steps, a crowd had formed in the living room. While Claire had been helping Eve, Athena and Oliver had arrived along with their new son, Wendell. He looked just like his father, though he had more of Athena's delicate nature. He was very shy and tended to stick to his mother's side like a bur. Though he'd only been born half a year ago, he looked to be about Amy's age. Other than them, Theo Goldman and his family stood in the corner, conversing with several vampires Claire didn't recognize. Panthea, Tank, Thomas, Meresna, and Penny walked toward Claire, Shane, Eve, and Michael when they spotted them.

Immediately, Thomas reared up and pawed at Shane affectionately. "Good to see you, too, Tommy," Shane said, grinning. Thomas's eyes brightened at hearing his old nickname. It'd been a while since the pair had seen each other. Thomas had been busy setting up the Darklings' camp. He was second in command of the pack, now.

Panthea hugged all of them—which was slightly difficult due to the little vampire girl hanging off Panthea's deep blue dress. Amy had always been very attached to Panthea.

"Child, quit bothering Panthea. You're going to rip her dress!" scolded a velvety voice. Myrnin, very sleek and formal in his tuxedo, appeared to detach Amy. The little vampire didn't seem angry, however. She twisted around in Myrnin's grasp to snake her arms around his neck, shrieking,

"Daddy!"

Myrnin chuckled. Putting her down, he said, "Go play with Wendell, okay? I'm sure he's waiting for you."

It was true. Ever since he'd been born, Wendell had some strange fascination with Amy. She was the only other person he wasn't shy around besides his parents. Claire had a sneaking suspicion they were going to end up together.

Amy streaked off toward Athena, Oliver, and their son. When she reached them Wendell's eyes lit up, and he let go of his mother's dress. Claire noticed Myrnin's eyes glow as he gazed after his daughter. He and Amelie really loved that girl as if she were their own. They even took great care in naming her.

See, they used the first two letters of each of their names to give her hers. Since there's an overlapping 'm' in both their names it's the middle letter of Amy's name. 'A' is the first letter of Amelie's name, and 'y' is the second letter of Myrnin's; hence Amy.

From the front door, a voice called, "It's time! Please come choose your seat."

Myrnin disappeared in a whisk. Claire hurried outside. She'd known what the layout was going to be before, but when she reached the porch and looked out over the yard, she had to catch her breath.

To the left of the porch, dozens of chairs faced a large archway spiraled with beautiful white and blue flowers. A white carpet sliced a path through the chairs. At the end of the path stood Myrnin. The moonlight washed everything in its silver breath, turning Myrnin's hair and tuxedo a softer black.

Claire hurried to stand beside Eve next to the arch, and Athena joined them a moment later: the maid of honor. Michael came to stand alongside Myrnin as the best man. Myrnin didn't have many _men_ he was close to so he'd asked Michael since Oliver had blatantly refused even before Myrnin had had the chance to ask.

People filed into their seats quickly. Michael strapped his guitar in place. He was the band and best man. Soon he began to play a calm, beautiful melody. Amelie had chosen a short ceremony, skipping the walking of the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Instead, she opted to make it spectacularly breathtaking.

And it was.

As Michael continued to play, Amy came skipping down the aisle, tossing rose petals with Wendell close behind bearing the ring.

Then Amelie came floating through the crowd.

She wafted as if on a breeze. She was stunning. She wore a pale blue dress with intricate, white embroidery. Her hair lay around her shoulders in a blanket of ice, but she'd carefully woven blue flowers into the pale strands.

Claire heard gasps from all around, and was sure she herself had gasped, too but was too entranced by Amelie's beauty to be aware of it.

When Amelie reached the front, Myrnin took her hand, his eyes wide is awe. They turned to face Theo Goldman who they'd asked to perform the ceremony.

Amelie had considered a long ceremony to be, quote, "unnecessary since I've waited this long." So they skipped right to the vows.

Myrnin went first. Gazing deeply into her eyes, he breathed, "My dear, sweet, Amelie, the day I met you—though I was a bit off my rocker—I knew I wanted to see you made happy. Now I have the chance to make that come true. I hope that this declaration of my love will make you eternally happy because I know it will make me."

Amelie grinned beneath her veil, her eyes misting. "You've been there for me, Myrnin, through it all. My dearest friend, my closest ally, my only love. There were times when we ignored our feelings or put them aside or simply became distracted from them. But they always came back. On this day, I want to make it clear that never again will I stray from you. That is my vow."

Claire was amazed by the thought and feeling in their words.

The couple exchanged rings and then Theo pronounced, "You may kiss the bride." He gave Myrnin a wink as if to say _congratulations, you sly dog_.

Then Myrnin lifted Amelie's veil, cupped her face, and placed a delicate, almost fragile as glass kiss upon her lips as if he were afraid of breaking her. Everyone cheered and clapped Myrnin and Amelie on the back.

The night was full of joy and warmth as Michael played his guitar and everybody danced under the smile of the lustrous, full moon.


End file.
